By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Preparations are advancing on multiple fronts as Antigua and Barbuda prepares to host approximately 2,000 delegates for the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in June.
Last week, a delegation from the OAS travelled to the country to hold the second of preliminary discussions with local officials and to inspect the conference site at the American University of Antigua (AUA) as well as hotel accommodations.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the OAS Sir Ronald Sanders told Observer media that preparations have been proceeding simultaneously at two levels, namely the physical infrastructural development in Antigua and the diplomatic groundwork at OAS headquarters in Washington DC.
He explained that at the diplomatic level, discussions on the agenda items for the June meeting are taking place.
“Every member state of the organization is free to put subjects on the agenda, but it has to be debated by the OAS Preparatory Committee, and it has to be resolved in terms of trying to build a consensus around them,” Sir Ronald explained, noting that some contentious resolutions may remain unresolved until the actual meeting in Antigua.
Multiple technical requirements, such as facilities for simultaneous translation services in the four official languages of the OAS, along with sophisticated broadcasting capabilities, are being put in place to facilitate the high-level meeting.
“This conference takes place in multiple languages — English, Spanish, French, Portuguese … every word that is said in that conference has to be translated,” the ambassador said, adding that these translations must occur both in the plenary sessions and during negotiation meetings.
OAS delegations have already conducted two site visits to Antigua and expressed satisfaction with both the proposed conference venues and the available accommodation for the delegates who will be in the country for up to 10 days.
Security arrangements will be coordinated with the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force and other high level security forces to determine the appropriate number of personnel needed to secure the area.
“That determination is going to have to be made by the security people in Antigua in terms of what they feel they have resources capable of,” the ambassador stated, emphasizing that comprehensive security is a top priority.
While the specific agenda items for the General Assembly are still being developed through preparatory committees in Washington DC, Sir Ronald indicated that this year’s meeting could be particularly complex given current global circumstances and tensions within the OAS member states.
The meeting comes at a time of significant changes in hemispheric relations, including shifts in US positions on multilateralism, heightened tensions surrounding trade policy, immigration and recent US funding cuts to OAS programmes.
These developments are expected to influence the discussions and negotiations during the Assembly.
Despite these challenges, A&B’s top diplomat expressed confidence in the nation’s ability to successfully host the event, drawing on its experience of chairing the OAS Permanent Council three times over the past nine years.
“If we could chair the Permanent Council successfully through those difficult times … I have no doubt that we will play that crucial role again,” Sir Ronald stated, highlighting the country’s growing diplomatic capacity on the international stage.