Organization of American States (OAS) and the OECS to Cooperate on Development Issues

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission have signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen their cooperation in areas related to development in the region, with special emphasis on education and training opportunities.

During the signing ceremony yesterday in Washington DC, the OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, recalled that among the 34 active OAS member states, 6 are also member states of the OECS.

After signing the agreement, the OAS leader said:

“Today’s brief ceremony represents a reaffirmation and a strengthening of the spirit of collaboration which both the General Secretariat of the OAS and the OECS Commission acknowledge as critical to the realization of our mutual goals for improving the lives of the people whom we serve.”

The Director General of the OECS, Didacus Jules, himself a former recipient of an OAS scholarship, discussed the benefits of the agreement in that area.

“We are very gratified to sign this agreement; it covers a number of areas, but historically education is one of the key ones and included is not just an assistance in helping to popularize and spread the scholarship program of the OAS but importantly to make use of some of the existing instruments available through the OAS such as the platform for teacher education and training.” 

In the framework of the ceremony, the leaders of both organizations discussed how they could join forces to assist in efforts to recover from the effects of recent natural disasters in Dominica.