WASHINGTON, DC, United States CMC) — Permanent representatives from the region at the Organisation of American States (OAS) have joined the hemispheric body in paying tribute to Simon Bolivar’s legacy, while commemorating the 230th anniversary of his birth.
The OAS said its Permanent Council on Wednesday held a protocolary session during which representatives paid tribute to the “memory, work and legacy” of the Latin American revolutionary.Diplomats “recalled the continued validity of his thinking and the need to continue working for the unity and freedom of the peoples of the Americas,” the OAS said.Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the permanent representative of Trinidad and Tobago, Neil Parsan, referred to the challenges facing the region, warning that many of them have been around since the days of Bolivar.“The Hemisphere has witnessed positive changes that have occurred since then, but a lot still remains to be done. Our Hemisphere struggles with a high degree of inequality, poverty and the scourges associated with the drug trade, trafficking of illegal guns, violence, human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children,” he added, while praising the ideals of “this great regional hero we are proud to honour today.”Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the OAS and vice chair of the council, Deborah-Mae Lovell, said the celebration continues the tradition established in 1986 to institutionalise an annual tribute to the ‘Liberator’.The permanent representative of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Saladín Selin, meanwhile, mentioned his country’s historical ties with Simon Bolivar, as well as the “spark of freedom that he ignited in the Hemisphere”.He referred to the career of the liberator, his speeches, campaigns and struggles, saying that “no man deserves more the title of ‘Man of the Americas’, because he not only overflowed the borders of several countries of the Hemisphere, but also became the firmest personality of the history of Hispanic America.”View the original article here
Caribbean joins OAS in paying tribute to Simon Bolivar
