OAS Not Meeting People's Demands, Needs Reinvention: Ecuador

Following this week's 47 General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Cancun, the Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, expressed disappointment in the ability of the OAS to effectively address the needs of the people, and said that it should undergo a process of reinvention and re-engineering.

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The remarks come after the OAS meeting largely centered around the ongoing internal situation of Venezuela at the urging of Mexico, who was hosting the meeting.

Following the meeting, which she described as mono-thematically revolving around Venezuela, she said that the body should fulfill its duty to prioritize the issues facing the hemisphere.

“No diplomatic work makes sense if it is not in harmony with the demands of the societies we represent,” she said.

The official expressed frustration that Ecuador had brough forth multiple relevent and pressing agenda points, such as the fight against poverty and inequality, the successful migratory model of Ecuador, climate change, and natural disaster preparedness.

Unfortunately however, none of the topics were addressed, as Venezuela's internal matters permeated the entire agenda for the week.

She noted the diplomatic deadlock that occurred on the matter, with those states who maintain that sovereignty should be respected and a principle of non-interference adhered to by the organization, countering those who believe the Venezuelan crisis should be made a unilateral issue.

Espinosa said that she felt other diplomatic bodies, such as the Union of South American Nations, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States have a much greater ability to address the issues facing the region.

At the meeting, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez also raised 10 proposals for consideration, including the pursuit of justice for the 43 disappeared students in Mexico, as well as stopping the construction of United States President Donald Trump's border wall. None of the proposals were considered.

After several months of the OAS repeatedly prioritizing Venezuela's ongoing internal conflict, Venezuela has denounced the organization as an instrument of interventionism that violates sovereignty at the behest of the United States' interests in controlling the country's wealth of oil and resources.

They have begun the process of withdrawing from the organization.