Equal parts diplomat and advocate, civil servant and CEO, the Secretary-General is a symbol of OAS ideals and a spokesman for the interests of the hemisphere's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable among them. The current Secretary-General is Mr. José Miguel Insulza of Chile, who took office on May 26, 2005. 

Biography | Speeches

Albert R. Ramdin of Suriname was elected as OAS Assistant Secretary General and took office on July 19, 2005. The assistant secretary general is 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.  (more)

Biography | Speeches

The Special Representatives and Envoys of the Secretary-General are engaged in preventive diplomacy and mediation in the hemisphere's trouble spots and/or heading OAS Electoral Observation Missions.

According to Secretary-General Insulza, it was necessary to restructure the General Secretariat to reorient it toward fulfillment of its mission and priority objectives. (more)