The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is undertaking a tour of the nation’s schools in a campaign to educate students about the Organisation of American States (OAS) which convenes its 55th General Assembly in St. John’s next week.
Officials at the ministry determined that it is essential that students across Antigua and Barbuda are made aware of the OAS, what it is, what are its core principles and how does being a member benefit Antigua and Barbuda.
The tour started two weeks ago at the Christian Union Primary School on the Wireless Road, but due to ongoing exams, visits to other educational institutions were paused to allow students to complete their exams.
However, with exams almost over, the engagements resumed this week with visits to the Antigua Girls High School, the Clare Hall Secondary and the Adele School on Monday and visits to the All Saints Secondary and the Liberta Primary School on Tuesday. On Wednesday (today), the team will visit the Antigua Grammar School and the Five Islands Primary. Other schools are being added daily as exam schedules allow. Additionally, a visit to schools in Barbuda is also under consideration.
On Monday at the AGHS, Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P Chet Greene, who led the team, highlighted some of the main concerns of the OAS. These include raising concerns over the issue of climate change, the promotion of democracy in the Americas, the declaration of the hemisphere as a ‘Zone of Peace’ and the protection of human rights.
Minister Greene also invited one of the students to accompany him as his official guest at the opening ceremony for the OAS General Assembly on Wednesday at the American University of Antigua Conference Centre. This invitation has been extended to one student from all of the schools visited.
Communications Officer in the Ministry, Everton Barnes, focused on the countries that comprise the OAS. He noted that it embraces some 34 countries stretching from Canada in North America all the way down to Central America, South American and the Caribbean. (Cuba and Venezuela are not members of the OAS). He told the students that whilst the countries of the English-speaking Caribbean are small in geographical and population size, many of the countries of the OAS are quite large. For example, Canada is the second largest country in the world, while the United States has the third largest population in the world (330 million), and Brazil has the largest population of black people outside of the African continent.
Also participating in the tour were Public Relations Officer, Briana Anthony, Barbuda Liaison Officer, Daralyn Burton along with Director General of Foreign Affairs, Ann-Marie Layne and Legal Officer, J’Moul Francis.
