THE WORK OF THE MISSIONS ABROAD
cialis usa times, serif; color: #000000;”>Organization Of American States
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the occasion of the anniversary of his birth, members of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) paid tribute to Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, during a meeting of the Permanent Council held in the Simon Bolívar Hall of the OAS headquarters at 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, on Wednesday, July 27, 2016.
The meeting was presided over by His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the OAS and Chair of the Permanent Council.
Dr. Rahming, who is also The Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, assumed the chairmanship of the OAS Permanent Council on July 1 for a three-month period, ending on September 30.
Born July 24, 1783, Bolívar was a South American general and statesman who brought political independence to six present-day nations.
Speaker after speaker representing the various OAS-member states paid glowing tribute to the man who has been hailed as “the greatest military figure of South America.”
With Ambassador Rahming chairing the meeting, His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Alternate Permanent Representative to the OAS, spoke on behalf of The Bahamas.
“The vagaries of history, or rather its writers at times, make the perspectives of that history somewhat skewed, but my passion for the history of the Greater Caribbean, that is, all those nations bathed by the Caribbean Sea, makes me appreciate the scope of Simon Bolivar being included in the history of the Island Nations of the region, including blood ties,” Dr. Newry said. “Bolivar, a child of both Europe and Africa, had to face his own resistors from the very elite whom he desired to liberate from Spain’s domination.”
Dr. Newry added, “Finding it a challenge, that is, raising an Army and Navy, he turned to recently liberated Haiti for help. There he received military, marine and money supplies. Then in preparation for his invasion, he stopped at Matthew Town, Inagua, in the southern Bahamas, where in the past few years a memorial was inaugurated by Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes and the Cuban Ambassador to The Bahamas. Bolivar, preceded by his Haitian counterpart Toussaint Louverture, sowed the seeds of Panamericanism and its handmaid, the fraternity of all peoples of the Americas.”
CAPTION
His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and Alternate Permanent Representative to the OAS, paying tribute to Simón Bolívar during a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. At right is H.E. Dr. Everson Hull, St. Kitts and Nevis Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS.
Organization Of American States
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Janet Bostwick, who headed the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) at the general elections held earlier this year in Jamaica, officially presented the Mission’s report to the OAS on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, during a meeting of the Permanent Council in the Simon Bolívar Hall of the OAS headquarters at 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW.
The meeting was presided over by His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the OAS and Chair of the Permanent Council.
Dr. Rahming, who is also The Bahamas’ Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, assumed the chairmanship of the OAS Permanent Council on July 1 for a three-month period, ending on September 30.
Mrs. Bostwick, who has had a long and distinguished career in politics in The Bahamas, was appointed to head the EOM for the Jamaica elections by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro in response to an invitation from the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) to observe that country’s General Parliamentary Elections held on February 25, 2016. The EOM included a team of 23 international experts and observers from 15 OAS Member States and two Observer States.
In her comprehensive report presented to the Permanent Council, Mrs. Bostwick noted that in the days “prior to the election, the Observation Mission met with a wide variety of actors, including the electoral authorities, representatives of political parties, state authorities, the private sector, members of civil society and advocacy organizations, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and local and international observers, in order to gather information and discuss their views on the electoral process.”
“These discussions were indispensable to the Mission in acquiring deeper insight into the Jamaican electoral process, the level of preparedness of the electoral machinery, issues surrounding the elections and the positions thereon of the various stakeholders,” Mrs. Bostwick said. “Two issues that emerged repeatedly in the discussions and which were of concern to the Observation Mission, were the high level of voter apathy in the country – particularly among young people – and the incidents of violence, which, though not necessarily politically motivated, had occurred within the context of electoral activities.”
She noted that the Mission “also took note, once more, of the authority, independence and competence of the ECJ, which continues to provide clear and solid leadership to the electoral process in Jamaica.”
“With the exception of two incidents witnessed by OAS Observers in the late evening, where encounters among supporters of competing parties required the intervention of security personnel, the Mission noted that, for the most part, Election Day progressed in a calm and peaceful manner,” Mrs. Bostwick said. “At the end of Election Day, the Mission observed the tabulation, transmission, consolidation and publication of the preliminary results, which was accomplished in a prompt and efficient fashion. These results indicated that of the 63 seats contested in the elections, 33 seats were won by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and 30 seats by the People’s National Party (PNP).
However, the OAS Mission noted that despite “the growing number of Jamaican women in decision-making positions and their presence in most areas of the electoral campaign, women continue to be underrepresented in actual nominations for the electoral contest and in their election to the House of Representatives,” pointing out that of the 152 candidates contesting the 2016 elections, 26 candidates or 17 percent were women and only 11 of the 63 candidates elected to the House were women.
“In its preliminary statement on the day after the elections,” Mrs. Bostwick said, “the OAS Mission had called on political parties, civil society organizations and the ECJ to work together to develop affirmative actions that might help to increase the participation of women in the electoral competition.”
Addressing the issue of voter turnout in Jamaica, Mrs. Bostwick said it has “been declining since the 1990s, with the 2011 election reaching a participation of just 52.6% of voters.”
“The OAS Mission noted, with concern, that this election was not an exception, and the trend continued with a turnout of only 48.37%,” Mrs.Bostwick said. “The apathy observed in the general population, particularly among young people, was disquieting, as robust participation in a country’s electoral processes is essential to maintain and strengthen the democratic system of government and to identify, encourage and develop the next cadre of political leaders.”
Mrs. Bostwick has the distinction of being the first female Member of the House of Assembly in The Bahamas, serving in that august chamber from 1977 to 2002.] She was appointed as Minister of Housing and Labour from 1992 to 1994 and served from 1994 to 1995 as Minister of Justice and Immigration. Between 1995 and 2001, she served as Attorney General and simultaneously as Minister of Foreign Affairs (1995) and Minister for Women’s Affairs (1995-2001).
CAPTION ON
Former Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Janet Bostwick is seen presenting the report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission on the recent general elections in Jamaica during a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Second from left is OAS Secretary for Legal Affairs Jean Michel Arrighi and at right is Dr. Elliston Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS and Chair of the Permanent Council. In the back row at left is Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission, Bahamas Embassy.
CAPTION TWO
Dr. Elliston Rahming, Bahamas Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OAS and Chair of the Permanent Council, is pictured presiding over the Permanent Council meeting on Wednesday, July 27, 2016. At right is La Celia Prince, Chief of Staff of OAS Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez.
CAPTION THREE
Former Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Janet Bostwick (right), who headed the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) at the general elections held earlier this year in Jamaica, is pictured with Ms. Julian Hyatt, Alternative Representative of Jamaica at OAS.
Washington DC
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Janet Bostwick paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, at the Embassy of The Bahamas, 2220 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., on Thursday, July 28, 2016. Mrs. Bostwick, who was accompanied by her grandson John Henry Bostwick III, headed the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) at the general elections held earlier this year in Jamaica, and she was in Washington to officially presented the Mission’s report to the OAS on Wednesday, July 27, during a meeting of the Permanent Council in the Simon Bolívar Hall of the OAS headquarters at 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. His Excellency Dr. Elliston Rahming, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations and the OAS, is Chair of the Permanent Council. Pictured from left to right during the courtesy call are: Miss Dena Ingraham, a Bahamian student at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, who is doing a five-week internship at the Embassy; Miss Krissy Hanna, Second Secretary; Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission; Ambassador Newry; Mrs. Bostwick; John Henry Bostwick III; Ambassador Rahming; Miss Tracee Dorestant, Second Secretary; and Mr. Mikhail Bullard, Second Secretary.