ROSEAU, Dominica--Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica to the Organization of American States (OAS) Ambassador Dr. Vince Henderson assumed the Chairmanship of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development CIDI on Thursday, January 12.
The ceremony took place at the OAS headquarters. Ambassador Henderson thanked the exiting Chair Ambassador Rogelio Sotela from Costa Rica and pledged to continue working to take advantage of the forum for meaningful discussion of the development agenda and how the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development SEDI can better focus its efforts for greater impact while keeping in mind its comparative advantages and available resources.
The appointment of Kim Osborne, a national of the Commonwealth of Dominica, as Executive Secretary for Integral Development, was confirmed Thursday by acclamation by OAS Member States during the regular CIDI meeting. Member States congratulated Osborne and pledged their support.
Osborne had been recommended for the position by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, based on her wealth of experience working on the socio-economic development of the Latin America and Caribbean region. She had been appointed OAS Country Representative to Belize from 2008 to 2011, and in that role managed the OAS’ programmes and relations with that country. More recently, Osborne served as the head of the Technical Cooperation Section at the OAS Secretariat for Integral Development, where she oversaw the Organization’s Development Cooperation and Partnerships programme.
According to Osborne, one of the most challenging tasks for the development pillar of the organization will be the coherent and purposeful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, cognizant of the need to expand the rights of all people in the hemisphere. She vowed to work closely with Member States in delivering on mandates, to strengthen political dialogue, cooperation and multi-sectoral partnerships and committed to engaging with Inter-American partners with common but differentiated responsibilities to avoid duplication and optimize benefits to OAS member states.
