Belmopan. July 20, 2015. Hon. Wilfred Elrington, Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, attended the official inauguration of H.E. Nestor Mendez as the new Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States on Friday, July 17th in Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Mendez was elected OAS Assistant Secretary General for the 2015-2020 term on March 18th of this year with a majority vote of 24 of the total 34 votes cast. This is the first time a Belizean has been elected to the post of Assistant Secretary General of the OAS. H.E. Nestor Mendez served as Ambassador of Belize to the OAS and to the Government of the United States since June 2008.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, congratulated the new Assistant Secretary General and said “I have nothing short of great expectations for our work together.” The OAS leader added “there are exciting times ahead and our task is one borne of the trust that has been placed in our hands.”
Ambassador Mendez reiterated his commitment to work closely with Secretary General Almagro in the process of modernization of the institution. “We must find ways to overcome our challenges and create the enabling environment for economic and social prosperity by identifying new areas of cooperation, creative financing mechanisms, and maximizing the catalytic potential of the OAS.”
Minister Elrington, was accompanied by Ms. Ardelle Sabido, Belize’s Interim Representative to the OAS and Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Belize in Washington, D.C.
