The Tribune

CORNELIUS A Smith, Permanent Representative of the Bahamas to the Organisation of American States, has officially demitted office after five years of promoting the country’s interests at the world’s oldest regional body.

In his departing address to the Regular Session of the Permanent Council on last Wednesday, Mr Smith said he is left with a deeper understanding and greater respect for the OAS, which the Bahamas became a member-state of in 1982.

And as the OAS continues its organising reforms in times of budgeting constraints, he suggested a return to the core mandate of promoting democracy, defending human rights, ensuring a multidimensional approach to security and fostering integral development and prosperity.

“For those who question the validity and relevancy of this organisation, take comfort in the fact that so many member states turn to this organisation for guidance, advice and dispute resolutions.

“I go away with the knowledge that even with its shortcomings and its occasional missteps, the only hope for maintaining, strengthening and promoting the democratic process and for the peaceful resolution of disputes, the stability and prosperity for the hemisphere lies with the OAS.

“If we allow the OAS to fail, or worse, if we contribute to its failure, we do so at our own peril and that of future generations,” he said.

Mr Smith called on member states to never forget that those who have been fortunate enough to serve the people of the hemisphere in OAS have an “awesome” responsibility to assist in shaping the kind of societies in which we all live.

He recalled some of the challenges the Bahamas was involved in during his tenure, namely coup-d’ �tat, ardency and border disputes, violations of sovereign air and land space, and a number of sensitive political issues.

Member-states also experienced an unusual number of natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes; but found ways to mitigate the consequences of these natural disasters.

“Today the hemisphere is confronted with the issues of criminal gangs, drug trafficking, human smuggling, terrorism, transnational criminality, HIV/AIDS, environmental destruction, abject poverty and the list goes on, but by adopting the principle of shared responsibility we continue to search for acceptable solutions to the vexing problems,” he said.

The Permanent Council also paid tribute to Mr Smith, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza expressing appreciation for the contribution he made during his tenure.

Other Caribbean representatives at the OAS from Dominica, Uruguay, Nicaragua, the United States, Venezuela, Canada, Paraguay, Belize, Grenada, and Haiti, amongst others, also expressed such sentiments.