55th OAS General Assembly to start on Wednesday
June 24 (UPI) -- Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau will lead the U.S. delegation at this week's Organization of American States General Assembly in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda.
The OAS event is scheduled from Wednesday through Friday at the American University of Antigua, and Landau will open the event by delivering the United States' opening address.
"Deputy Secretary Landau's trip underscores the United States' commitment to addressing the shared challenges and opportunities in our hemisphere, consistent with the OAS's founding charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter," a State Department news release said.
Landau also will advocate for the election of Rosa Maria Paya of the United States to serve on the OAS's Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Other goals for Landau include urging OAS member states to address illegal immigration and "dire situations" in Venezuela and Haiti, according to the new release.
Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez is scheduled to discuss matters in Haiti, urge the international community to assist Haitians and address related regional security concerns.
The OAS General Assembly has met annually since 1971 and has four sessions scheduled on Thursday and Friday.
During this year's assembly, member states will elect three members each for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Juridical Committee.
The states also will elect two members of the Justice Studies Center of the Americas, one member of the Administrative Tribunal and one member of the Audit Committee.
The General Assembly is the "supreme organ" of the OAS, and each of its 34 member states has one vote per ballot.
Its purpose is to strengthen and coordinate cooperation with the United Nations and its agencies, promote regional collaboration, assess OAS reports and establish requirements of its member states.
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