Starting on July 1st and for a period of three months, Costa Rica will assume the Presidency of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).
The Chancellor of the Republic, Epsy Campbell, told the press on Thursday that Costa Rica’s alternate ambassador to that agency, Rita Hernández, will be the permanent ambassador for three months, so she will preside over this important forum during the country’s turn in this seat.
The last time the country occupied this position was in 2010, during the administration of Laura Chinchilla, with Ambassador Enrique Castillo.
The Permanent Council of the OAS reports directly to the General Assembly as stated by the Inter-American Charter and other instruments. It must also comply with the functions entrusted to it by the General Assembly and the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries that make up the regional forum.
Among these functions, the most important one is to ensure friendly relations between the member states and to effectively help in the peaceful settlement of their disputes. Given the current international situation, the country will have to deal with the crises in Nicaragua and Venezuela.
The Permanent Council also executes the decisions of the General Assembly or the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs whose fulfillment has not been entrusted to any other entity. In this position, Costa Rica must also make recommendations to the General Assembly on the functioning of the Organization and the coordination of its subsidiary bodies, agencies, and commissions.
The Permanent Council of the OAS is composed of a permanent representative for each member state, appointed especially by the respective government with ambassador status. The presidency is exercised successively by the permanent representatives of the member states in the Spanish alphabetical order. The countries exercise their functions for a period of three months that begins on the first day of the months of January, April, July, and October.