Permanent Representative of US to the Organization of American States

The permanent representative of the U.S. to the OAS oversees a relatively small staff and budget.

• Serves as a liaison to the organization’s leaders and the point of contact for other member states’ representatives
• Coordinates all U.S. policy, reports on developments and shares policy advice with the responsible assistant secretary, other department principals and the president
• Appears in the media, manages mission resources and leads the direct hire of locally engaged staff
• Reports on issues of vital interest to the entire U.S. government through Department of State channels²

Leads the Organization of American States in its mission to:

• Promote democracy and democratic institutions by upholding the Inter-American Democratic Charter as the political standard for the Western Hemisphere, ensuring free and fair elections in the member states via credible OAS observation missions, and supporting the efforts of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to promote and protect these rights in the member states

• Strengthen OAS security initiatives by providing technical cooperation to member states in their efforts to combat drugs, terrorism and organized crime, and other threats to security

• Improve social conditions in the hemisphere through technical cooperation programs in the areas of education, environment, labor, science and technology, culture and tourism

• Contribute to the creation of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas³

[Depends on the policy priorities of the administration.]