OAS needs better funding

Speaking at the closing session of the 36th OAS General Assembly in the Dominican Republic, Gift recently recalled that Barbados prime minister Owen Arthur indicated in 2002 that resources available to the regular fund of the OAS have been in decline for the last 20 years.

The minister said this decline was evident prior to the start of the 31st session of the general assembly in January, with the regular fund containing $8 million less than the 1995 amount and staffing levels were reduced by 25 percent.

Against this background, Gift said member nations could agree that “the OAS is not yet out of the financial woods” and this was a matter of some concern to the OAS. Gift said the OAS must strive towards promoting the highest levels of corporate governance in addition to promoting good governance and democracy.

The minister suggested that member nations seek to prioritise the numerous mandates which the OAS should undertake and to increase the resources allocated to its regular fund to meet those mandates.