PARAMARIBO–The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin is urging policymakers and leaders in the Caribbean to invest in more substantial renewable energy options, in the interest of energy security.

Speaking at a regional conference in his native Suriname on “Research, Development and Capacity Building to Support Renewable Energy Development in the Caribbean,” Ambassador Ramdin stressed the importance of implementing sustainable energy policies. “Given the heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, the region must strive harder to develop and expand initiatives which can result in its own competitively priced, reliable, safe, and affordable energy sources,” said Ramdin.

Pointing to the potential for the development of geothermal, biomass, solar, and wind sources of energy, Assistant Secretary General Ramdin said much of the hemisphere’s potential for renewable energy remains untapped. “Realizing the potential of renewable energy in the Caribbean region requires investment, commitment, partnerships and political will. It also means being prepared to make difficult choices; sometimes choosing between political expediency and the long-term good,” added Ramdin.

Assistant Secretary General Ramdin, who days earlier addressed the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum in Barbados, also believes that emphasis must be placed on education to facilitate the further development of renewable energy. “Our challenge has been facilitating a realistic transition to sustainable energy. We now have a critical responsibility to intensify our collective efforts, by improving education, expanding technology and raising awareness on this issue,” he said.

WASHINGTON–The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, has pledged the Organization’s support for climate compatible development in Suriname.

Ambassador Ramdin said an OAS mission would soon travel to Suriname to conduct a baseline study to guide future interventions in risk management, sustainable energy, water resources management, environmental law, policy, and governance, among other critical areas identified by the Suriname delegation.

This pledge followed a meeting this week at OAS Headquarters in Washington, DC , between Ramdin and John Goedschalk, the Executive Director of Suriname’s newly established Climate Compatible Development Agency. Also present at the meeting was the Surinamese Ambassador to the OAS, Subhas Ch. Mungra; Deputy Chief of Mission Michiel Raafenberg; and Director of the OAS Department of Sustainable Development Cletus Springer.

Discussions focused on the vision and strategies being contemplated by the Government of Suriname towards the achievement of climate compatible development.  During the meeting, Ambassador Ramdin commended the decision of the Government of Suriname to create a Climate Compatible Development Agency dedicated to the coordination of national level actions to build Suriname ’s resilience to a changing climate.

PARAMARIBO–Ambassador Albert Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), sees a direct link between the illegal trade of drugs and small firearms, and crimes of violence, sex crimes, domestic violence, child abuse, corruption and other problems. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 49th regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) at Royal Torarica Resort in Paramaribo, the high ranking OAS official said that “all of these have had a direct impact on national security agendas in the hemisphere and a direct economic impact on smaller and vulnerable economies like those of the Caribbean and Central America.”

High-level delegates from across the Americas are gathered in Suriname this week to discuss a Hemispheric Plan of Action to deal with the scourge of drugs and drug-related crimes in the Hemisphere. The forty-ninth regular session of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) will consider among other issues the “smokeable cocaine” phenomenon in the Southern Cone, and drug consumption among adolescents in conflict with the law.

An OAS press release said that OAS ASG Ramdin believes that success in the fight against drugs and drug-related crimes calls for a coordinated, multilateral approach to the application of resources, and a willingness to support neighbors who do not have the means to effectively counteract the threat posed by international organized crime and drug trafficking. “Our response to crime and violence needs to be long-term, strategic, and include actions that will address underlying causes. Our priority should be to invest more in education, training, opportunities and job creation. We must intensify our efforts to reduce consumption and demand,” stressed the Assistant Secretary General.

The Suriname-born diplomat concluded by saying that change can only come through “political will.” The OAS General Assembly that begins in El Salvador on June 5 this year has as its theme, “Citizen Security in the Americas.”

WASHINGTON DC–The new Permanent Representative of Suriname to the Organization of American States (OAS), Subhas Chandra Mungra, presented his credentials to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza on Tuesday.

The ceremony in Washington, DC was also attended by the Assistant Secretary General, Albert R. Ramdin, and the Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of the United States to the Organization, Carmen Lomellin.

According to an OAS press release, Insulza told Ambassador Mungra : “Cooperation between our organization and the government of your country has been very strong in recent years. I am happy because I think that your country is very willing to take important responsibilities in the development of our programs of action.” The head of the OAS highlighted that the Surinamese government has offered to host the hemispheric organization’s conference on education.

Ambassador Mungra was sworn in as Suriname’s envoy to the US on Friday January 7th; He is stationed in Washington DC. He has a distinguished career of service in his country’s government. He has been Minister of Finance, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager of the National Development Bank of Suriname, Minister of Foreign Relations, and Ambassador of Suriname to the United Nations. In the academic world, at the University of Suriname, he has been lecturer on Public Economics and the Economics of Development, and coordinator of Master’s courses on Applied Macroeconomics, Finance and Policy.

During the ceremony, the Surinamese representative asserted that his country’s government continues to share the ideals, objectives and commitments of the OAS in the areas of democracy, human rights, security, education, peace and sustainable development, among others. “My government is committed to contribute to the efforts of the OAS to continue to make progress in the aforementioned areas, which are critical to the needs and aspirations of our peoples,” he was quoted in the OAS release.

“I am honored and privileged to serve my country in this Organization, which is the eldest regional organization and an important hemispheric forum. I will do my best to contribute to further strengthening and deepening cooperation with Member States of the OAS to further enhance the lofty goals and principles of the Organization,” he concluded.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

Ambassador Albert Ramdin

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, has extended his condolences to the families of seven gold miners who were killed on Saturday evening in Suriname. The victims, all Surinamese nationals between the ages of 18 and 50, were killed when the walls of a shaft suddenly collapsed in a mine, in an area known as “Gowtu Bergi” or Gold Mountain. Surinamese authorities are trying to determine if more people are buried beneath the sand.

Government and mining officials have acknowledged that the victims were all self-employed, and were not operating under official regulations at the time of the accident. Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who hails from Suriname, has described the incident as tragic, and called for the enforcement of laws regulating mining operations. “We mourn for the loss of these sons of Suriname. It was a tragic accident that demonstrates the need for us to follow safety regulations, and the law itself. If we are to prevent incidents like this, we must enforce laws that are in place,” Ramdin said. Suriname has since declared three days of national mourning.