Representatives from 21 Organization of American States (OAS) member states converged at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in downtown Kingston on Monday (April 14) to celebrate Pan-American Day.

The observance commemorates the inaugural International Conference of American States, which culminated on April 14, 1890, with the creation of the International Union of American Republics (Pan-American Union), predecessor to the OAS.

Speaking during the commemorative ceremony, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith emphasised the enduring value of community in a changing world.

“Today’s commemoration of Pan-American Day, marking the birth of the OAS, takes on broader significance as a celebration of peace, of friendship and of solidarity among nations and peoples of the Americas in today’s dynamic world,” she said.

The minister noted that as the region has evolved, the OAS’ functions have expanded into a vibrant and dynamic inter-American system of cooperation, agreements and institutions. 

“Many of the organisation’s specialised bodies are world-leading entities, providing important functional cooperation, including the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), which we all well know, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN) and Inter-American Commission of Women, (CIM),” she outlined.

Senator Johnson Smith further noted that the OAS is at the forefront of efforts to preserve and consolidate democracy, protect human rights, promote multi-dimensional security and advance development in the Americas.

“The Government of Jamaica has been particularly active in our participation at the ministerial and high-level meetings on critical sectors such as labour, education, science and technology, digital and, of course, security. It’s not surprising, therefore, that many of the programmes from which we have benefited reinforce this mandate or these mandates,” she highlighted.

Minister Johnson Smith noted that more than 2,441 Jamaicans were assisted between 2014 and 2020 under the New Path Project, co-funded and implemented by the OAS and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve quality access to reintegration services for juvenile detainees. 

She emphasised that the OAS continues to support the development of Jamaica’s human capital by facilitating scholarships and organising workshops and training opportunities.

“The OAS remains a trusted partner and a valuable forum to address pressing concerns, including international border disputes, by implementing confidence-building measures and promoting a culture of peace through improved communication, integration and cooperation among the parties involved,” Johnson Smith added.

In her remarks, resident representative of the OAS General Secretariat in Jamaica, Jeanelle Van Glaanenweygel, noted that the spirit of Pan-American Day reflects the Members’ shared journeys, transcending borders, languages and histories.

She said the nations of the Americas are bound, not only by geography but also by a deep commitment to multilateralism, unity, cooperation and friendship.

“Pan-American Day was established to commemorate diplomatic ties in this hemisphere and for the countries in the Americas to renew their promises to one another, to stand together in moments of challenges, to lift each other up in times of need and to walk forward hand in hand towards progress. Whether we speak Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, Dutch or one of the many Indigenous languages that echo across our lands, our values resonate in harmony,” the OAS Representative shared.

Van Glaanenweygel encouraged OAS members to treat Pan-American Day as “a celebration, as well as a call to action to deepen the friendships between OAS member states [and] to strengthen the bonds that tie us, to keep building a hemisphere where everyone has a voice and every dream has a chance”.