Roseau, Dominica – June 24, 2010……… Mr. Hubert John Charles has been appointed as Dominica’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the Organisation of American States. (OAS)
His Excellency Hubert Charles presented his credentials to the OAS Secretary General, His Excellency, Jose Miguel Insulza, at a short ceremony at OAS headquarters in Washington D.C on Wednesday.
Speaking moments after the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Hubert Charles said:
“We are passionate about our freedom. We believe passionately in the future. But there are some institutions that help us ground ourselves. One of those is the OAS and what I want to do and to say up front is to give you the assurance of our strong commitment to work within the framework of this organisation, to promote its principles and the principles that all of us believe in – progress, equitable development, human rights, dignity of all people. I think the OAS is well placed to be a framework for that.”
OAS Secretary General H.E Jose Miguel Insulza said he “values the important experience that Ambassador Charles brings from his work in the public service, diplomacy and international organisations”.
Dominica has been without a Permanent Representative to the OAS since 2001. Months after his appointment to that position in 2001,
Mr. Swinburne Lestrade returned home to help design and coordinate the implementation of a stabilisation and adjustment programme for Dominica in response to the country’s fiscal and economic crisis of that time. Since 2001, Miss Judith Ann-Rolle has been Dominica’s Interim Permanent Representative to the OAS.
Both Secretary General H.E Insulza and new Ambassador/Permanent Representative, H.E Charles spoke of the importance of the contribution of Dominica’s Interim Permanent Representative, Miss Judith Ann-Rolle since the departure of Mr. Lestrade.
New Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the OAS, H.E Hubert Charles was only recently President of the Dominica State College. He worked for many years in Dominica in the field of Education and is a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and a former principal of the Dominica Grammar School. Ambassador Charles also worked several years for UNESCO in Nigeria and South Africa.
