Secretary General of the Organization of American States

Secretary-General of the Organization of American States
Incumbent Albert Ramdin since 30 May 2025 (2025-05-30)
Organization of American States
Style	His Excellency
Residence	Pan American Union Building
Seat	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Nominator	Organization of American States
Appointer	General Assembly
Term length	5 years (renewable, traditionally limited to 2 terms)
Constituting instrument	Organization of American States
Inaugural holder	Alberto Lleras Camargo
Formation	1948;77 years ago (1948)

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States is the highest position within the Organization of American States. ^[1]

Duties

According to the Charter of the Organization of American States: ^[2]

The Secretary General shall direct the General Secretariat, be the legal representative thereof, and [...] be responsible to the General Assembly for the proper fulfillment of the obligations and functions of the General Secretariat.

The Secretary General of the Organization shall be elected by the General Assembly for a five-year term and may not be reelected more than once or succeeded by a person of the same nationality. In the event that the office of Secretary General becomes vacant, the Assistant Secretary General shall assume his duties until the General Assembly shall elect a new Secretary General for a full term.

The Secretary General, or his representative, may participate with voice but without vote in all meetings of the Organization.

The Secretary General may bring to the attention of the General Assembly or the Permanent Council any matter which in his opinion might threaten the peace and security of the Hemisphere or the development of the Member States.

Secretaries General of the OAS

No.	Image	Name	Country	Term of Office
1		Alberto Lleras Camargo	Colombia	30 April 1948 – 1 August 1954
2		Carlos Dávila Died while in office	Chile	1 August 1954 – 19 October 1955
3		José Antonio Mora	Uruguay	1956–1968
4		Galo Plaza	Ecuador	1968–1975
5		Alejandro Orfila	Argentina	1975–1984
6		João Clemente Baena Soares	Brazil	1984–1994
7		César Gaviria Re-elected to a second term at the 1999 General Assembly	Colombia	15 September 1994 – 15 September 2004
8		Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Resigned	Costa Rica	15 September 2004 – 15 October 2004
–		Luigi R. Einaudi (acting)	United States	15 October 2004 – 26 May 2005
9		José Miguel Insulza Elected 2 May 2005 (see: OAS Secretary General election, 2005), re-elected on 24 March 2010	Chile	26 May 2005 – 26 May 2015
10		Luis Almagro	Uruguay	26 May 2015 – 30 May 2025
11		Albert Ramdin Elected 10 March 2005 (see: 2025 OAS elections)	Suriname	30 May 2025 – present

Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS

The Charter specifies that: ^[2]

The Assistant Secretary General shall be the Secretary of the Permanent Council. He shall serve as advisory officer to the Secretary General and shall act as his delegate in all matters that the Secretary General may entrust to him. During the temporary absence or disability of the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General shall perform his functions.

The Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General shall be of different nationalities.

No.	Image	Name	Country	Term of Office
1		William Manger	United States	1948–1958
2		William Sanders	United States	1958–1968
3		M. Rafael Urquía	El Salvador	1968–1975
4		Jorge Luis Zelaya Coronado	Guatemala	1975–1980
5		Val T. McComie	Barbados	1980–1990
6		Christopher R. Thomas	Trinidad and Tobago	1990–2000
7		Luigi R. Einaudi	United States	2000 – July 2005
8		Albert Ramdin	Suriname	19 July 2005 – 2015
9		Nestor Mendez	Belize	17 July 2015 [3] – present

References

1. OAS (1 August 2009). "OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". OAS - Organization of American States. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
2. "Charter of the Organization of American States". Organization of American States. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
3. "Nestor Mendez Takes Office as OAS Assistant Secretary General". August 2009.