[UPDATED] Dr Browne hails Suriname minister as new OAS head

FOREIGN and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne has described the election of Suriname’s Foreign Affairs Minister Albert Ramdin as secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) as, “a historic moment for all of Caricom.”

Caricom, in a statement on March 10, congratulated Ramdin on his election which was held earlier that day at 11 am (eastern time) at the the OAS headquarters in Washington DC, USA.

The statement said Caricom’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) has warmly congratulated Ramdin, whose is Suriname’s minister of foreign affairs, on his historic election as the new Secretary General of the OAS.

He was elected for 2025-2030, at the 56th Special Session of the OAS General Assembly.

Contacted for comment on March 10 in Washington, after the meeting of the OAS General Assembly, Browne said, “I am very pleased to have contributed to today’s Special General Assembly...which has elected (by affirmation) His Excellency Albert Ramdin as the next Secretary General of the OAS for a five-year term.

“Trinidad and Tobago and all of Caricom remained resolute in our support for Minister Ramdin for this position, and we are delighted and proud to have made history today as we have elected the first OAS Secretary General to have come from a Caricom member state.”

Browne added that he and Ramdin had collaborated closely in the latter’s capacity as Suriname’s foreign affairs minister. “We have worked very well together on Caricom issues as fellow members of Cofcor. He is a great friend of Trinidad and Tobago and we are confident that he will provide the principled leadership that is needed at this time from the office of OAS Secretary General.”

Cofcor, in a statement said, “This landmark election marks the first time a representative from a Caricom member state has been elected as Secretary General of the OAS,” Caricom said.

Cofcor said Ramdin’s election reflected the confidence of member states in his abilities.

“The council expressed confidence that with a career distinguished by extensive experience in foreign policy and diplomacy, including a previous tenure as OAS Assistant Secretary-General, he is well-equipped to guide the organisation in addressing critical issues such as peace, security, socio-economic development, democracy, and good governance across the hemisphere.”

“The Caribbean Community is confident that minister Ramdin will serve in his new role with distinction, upholding the OAS Charter and demonstrating the necessary expertise to navigate regional challenges, thereby contributing to the shared vision for a peaceful and prosperous hemisphere.”

The OAS website said Ramdin is married to a TT wife, Charmaine Baksh, with whom he has two children. Previously, he was elected OAS Assistant Secretary General in 2005.

Before that he had served the Suriname Government in many diplomatic posts and advisory roles, including being permanent representative to the OAS.

Born in Suriname in 1958, Ramdin was educated in Paramaribo and in The Netherlands – at the University of Amsterdam and the Free University – where he studied geography of developing countries with a specialisation in social and economic problems of smaller economies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This story was originally published with the title Caricom national Albert Ramdin elected OAS secretary general and has been updated to include additonal details. See original post below.

FOREIGN and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne has described the election of Suriname's Foreign Affairs Minister Albert Ramdin as secretary general of the Organisation of American States (OAS) as, "an historic moment for all of Caricom."

The Caricom Secretariat in Guyana issued a release on Monday saying its Council for Foreign and Community Relations (Cofcor) congratulated Ramdin on his historic election as the new secretary general.

The release said Ramdin was elected for the 2025-2030 term, during the 56th Special Session of the General Assembly of the OAS on 10 March, which was attended by Browne as Trinidad and Tobago's representative.

"This landmark election marks the first time a representative from a Caricom member state has been elected as Secretary General of the OAS," the release said.

Contacted for comment on Monday in Washington, after the meeting of the OAS General Assembly, Browne said, "I am very pleased to have contributed to today's Special General Assembly...which has elected (by affirmation) His Excellency Albert Ramdin as the next Secretary General of the OAS for a five-year term.

"Trinidad and Tobago and all of Caricom remained resolute in our support for Minister Ramdin for this position, and we are delighted and proud to have made history today as we have elected the first OAS Secretary General to have come from a Caricom member state."

Browne added that he and Ramdin had collaborated closerly in the latter's capacity as Suriname's foreign affairs minister. "We have worked very well together on Caricom issues as fellow members of Cofcor. He is a great friend of Trinidad and Tobago and we are confident that he will provide the principled leadership that is needed at this time from the office of OAS Secretary General."

Cofcor said Ramdin’s election reflected the confidence of Caricom member states in his abilities.

The council said his was a career distinguished by extensive experience in foreign policy and diplomacy, including a previous tenure as OAS Assistant Secretary General. Cofcor added that Ramdin is well-equipped to guide the organisation in addressing critical issues such as peace, security, socio-economic development, democracy, and good governance across the hemisphere.

“The Caribbean community is confident that Ramdin will serve in his new role with distinction, upholding the OAS Charter and demonstrating the necessary expertise to navigate regional challenges, thereby contributing to the shared vision for a peaceful and prosperous hemisphere,” Cofcor stated.

Cofcor determines relations between Caricom member states and international organisations and third states and promotes the development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations among member states.