OEA - Informe CIDI INF. 666 25 de 2025

OEA/Ser. W

CIDI/INF.666/25

28 July 2025

Original: Textual

REMARKS BY THE OUTGOING CHAIR OF THE OAS INTER-AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR THE INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT, AMBASSADOR LOU-ANNE GILCHRIST, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

TO THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES

[image: A black and yellow emblem with a couple of people in blue robes AI-generated content may be incorrect.]

PERMANENT MISSION OF SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

TO THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS)

REMARKS

HANDING OVER OF CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COUNCIL FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT TO THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SURINAME

JULY 22, 2025

Excellencies, Permanent Representatives, Alternate Representatives, Permanent Observers,

Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General, Executive Secretary of SEDI, Mrs. Kim Osborne, staff of the Secretariat, incoming chair of the CIDI, His Excellency Jan Marten Schalwijk, Permanent Representative of Suriname.

Good morning.

I greet you this morning as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines marks the conclusion of its chairmanship of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development for the first semester of 2025, and thank you all for your supporting and participating in the meetings during the period by sharing your perspectives and insights on the various areas of human development.

I now welcome you to witness as I formally hand over the chairmanship of the CIDI to His Excellency Dr. Jan Marten Schalwijk, Permanent Representative of Suriname.

Excellency, I congratulate you on the assumption of this chairmanship and pledge the support of the Permanent Mission of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to you as you embark on fulfilling the objectives of your work plan for the next semester. It is certainly encouraging to note that your proposed approach to the work builds on that of the preceding two semesters with a view to marrying them all and bridging the policy dialogue - concrete outcomes divide on the important development issues of physical connectivity and trade, on one hand, and matters related to bridging the divides in education to promote inclusion and skills development and employment, on the other. I have no doubt that by the end of your chairmanship, the Council will have a roadmap such as the one you of which you have conceived.

Colleagues, the work of the CIDI during the first semester of 2025, could not have been conducted without the cooperation and participation of countless individuals, organizations and agencies in the hemisphere, and certainly not without the sterling support of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, with Mrs. Kim Osborne and her dedicated team always attentive and responsive to the demands of the Council. For this, on behalf of the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, my mission team and I express sincere gratitude.

We thank the above-referenced individuals for sharing their time and expertise with the Member States as we addressed matters related to the central theme of “Building Equitable and Inclusive Communities in the Americas – Expanding Access and Opportunities for All.” Brought home to us in their stark reality, were the challenges associated with inequity, a shrinking fiscal space, exclusion and other threats to building prosperity and reducing the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities in the hemisphere.

We do not despair or lose hope, however, for the information and the offers for cooperation shared by member states during the meetings of the Council, indicate that there are solutions available to address the challenges and promote inclusion and social and economic development. I urge you, therefore, to take advantage of the opportunities for collaboration and cooperation referenced by member states, as we work together to improve the lives of the people in the Americas, notably of the youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities, people in rural communities, Indigenous and Afro-Descendant communities and all people at risk, everywhere in the region. I recall at this point the CooperaNet and remind member states to populate it with their offers for cooperation, for the synergies created through the pooling of resources, be they financial or through the exchange of best practice or expertise, will certainly redound to the benefit of our people. At this juncture, I reinforce the expression of my sincere gratitude to Member States for their participation in the meetings of the CIDI and for sharing their invaluable information in the Council.

During the past semester, within the framework of the Council, together, we deliberated upon a cluster of thematic issues which, if addressed meaningfully with specific, concrete and targeted efforts, could improve the social determinants of success for the sectors of the population under consideration. For example, “connecting education and employment, improving youth access to labour markets,” “education for all - closing gaps in access and quality,” and “bridging the digital literacy and skills divide” all point to the need for more responsive and inclusive education systems to position our people to participate more fully in development activities. This links to the SDGs and is not an impossible target with cooperation and collaboration. “New avenues for growth in indigenous and Afro-Descendant communities” and “unlocking the socio-economic development potential of rural communities” as well as “strategic action for addressing brain drain: talent retention and cooperation,” are tasks which we must set ourselves to enable our communities to be resilient and inclusive and to work their way out of poverty.

Colleagues, this semester saw joint sessions of the CIDI and the Permanent Council to address the themes of International Women’s Day, Earth Day and Human Rights, a dialogue on social protection challenges and needs – lessons learned and best practices. I thank the co-chairs, Their Excellencies, Ambassador Hector Arce Zaconeta, the Permanent Representative of Bolivia and Ambassador Benoni Belli, the Permanent Representative of Brazil, for being the co-chairs of these sessions.

The semester concluded with the presentation of the annual report of the CIDI to the 55th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States. This report covered the period July 2024, to June 2025. In addition, in the absence of the annual CIDI omnibus resolution (owing to the adoption of the resolution CP/doc.6092/25 rev. 2 “Reaffirmation of Mandates and the Establishment of a Mandate Management Mechanism,” which provided that the General Assembly would not consider new mandates,) CIDI Resolution CIDI/doc.454/25 rev. 1, was adopted for presentation to the General Assembly. It provides for the endorsement of documents adopted in the framework of sectoral meetings of the CIDI and the acknowledgement of the Work Plan for the Implementation of the Resolution “Continuing to Drive the Strengthening of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI),” AG/RES.3015 (LIV-O/24), as approved by CIDI (as document CIDI/doc.425/24 rev.3) on March 25, 2025, at its regular meeting.

As I close, I convey my gratitude to His Excellency Ernesto Vargas, Permanent Representative of Colombia, the vice chair of the CIDI, for the first semester, for his reliable support and for chairing sessions of the Council.

I extend gratitude to the conferences team and the technical team for their support in ensuring that the meetings proceeded smoothly - without the stresses which could frustrate meetings which had guest experts joining virtually.

In reiterating my thanks to everyone for supporting the chairmanship of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, I thank my mission team for their work which is indicative of their deep engagement with the Inter-American Council for Integral Development and with matters relating to the enhancement of the human capital, not only in our country, but also in the countries of this hemisphere.

Ambassador Schalkwijk, please accept my congratulations and best wishes for an engaging and productive semester.

H.E. Lou-Anne Gilchrist

Permanent Representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the Organization of American States

CIDRP04469T01