Belize Reflects on 70 Years of O.A.S.

Patrick Andrews

The Organization of American States was established in 1948, for the purposes of regional solidarity and cooperation among the thirty-five countries that make up its membership.  The international union is commemorating its seventieth anniversary this year and on the local front, hosted a ceremony today in recognition of that achievement.  This morning at the Radisson, government officials, as well as representatives of various non-governmental organizations gathered to celebrate the occasion by reflecting on Belize’s relationship with the O.A.S.

Patrick Andrews, C.E.O., Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“As you may know, Belize became a member of the O.A.S. in 1991, a full ten years after our independence.  Since then, Belize’s engagement work with the O.A.S. has included work on securing a peaceful resolution of Guatemala’s claim on Belize’s territory, cooperating on regional security, furthering cooperation efforts and initiatives towards development and participation in the Summits of the Americas and the O.A.S. General Assembly and generally, the work of the organization.  Belize’s ambassador to the USA is also the permanent representative to the O.A.S.  I, myself, was fortunate to have held that position fairly recently as permanent representative when I was in the U.S. serving as an ambassador.  And so it is indeed quite a pleasure to be able to join in this commemoration.  I know firsthand the value of the O.A.S., the impact that the organization has had and continues to have on our countries and region and hemisphere.  I have no doubt of the immense goodwill of the OAS and its member states to shape a hemisphere that is peaceful, democratic, prosperous and where the human rights and the rule of law are respected.  So strong is Belize’s commitment to the O.A.S. that we offered our very own Ambassador Nestor Mendez who now currently serves as the Assistant Secretary General of the O.A.S.”