Latest update June 11th, 2026 12:40 AM
May 10, 2011 News
The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Albert Ramdin, has been admitted to hospital in Paramaribo, where he was attending a conference of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).
Suriname’s Star News reported that Ramdin could have suffered an infection to the pancreas. His situation was listed as stable.
High-level delegates from across the Americas, including Guyana, met last week in Paramaribo. They were discussing a Hemispheric Plan of Action to deal with the scourge of drugs and drug-related crimes.
The 49th regular session of CICAD considered, among other issues, the “smokeable cocaine” phenomenon in the Southern Cone, and drug consumption among adolescents in conflict with the law.
Addressing delegates before his hospitalization, Ambassador Ramdin pointed to a direct link between the illegal trade of drugs and small firearms, and crimes of violence, sex crimes, domestic violence, child abuse, corruption and other problems.
“All of these have had a direct impact on national security agendas in the hemisphere and a direct economic impact on smaller and vulnerable economies like those of the Caribbean and Central America,” said the high ranking OAS official.
The OAS diplomat said that he believes success in the fight against drugs and drug-related crimes calls for a coordinated, multilateral approach to the application of resources, and a willingness to support neighbors who do not have the means to effectively counteract the threat posed by international organized crime and drug trafficking.
“Our response to crime and violence needs to be long-term, strategic, and include actions that will address underlying causes. Our priority should be to invest more in education, training, opportunities and job creation.
“We must intensify our efforts to reduce consumption and demand,” stressed the Assistant Secretary General.
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