Trinidad and Tobago Assumes Chairmanship of The Permanent Council of The Organization of American States

On Monday 2 October, 2006, Her Excellency Marina A. Valère, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ambassador to Washington and Permanent Representative to the OAS, assumed the Chairmanship of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the final quarter of 2006.

The Permanent Council comprises one representative of each member state of the OAS with the rank of Ambassador, and reports directly to the General Assembly. It also serves as the Preparatory Committee for each meeting of the General Assembly and is rotated among the thirty-five (35) Member States of the Hemisphere, including the United States and Canada, every three months.

Among the responsibilities of the OAS are the strengthening of peace and security in the Hemisphere and ensuring peaceful settlements of disputes that may arise among member states.

Last month Trinidad and Tobago assumed the Presidency of the Summit of the Americas Process during the 46th Ministerial Meeting of the Summit Implementation Review Group. Trinidad and Tobago will host the Summit in 2009.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
October 4, 2006