Veteran diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders, who serves as Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to both the United States and the Organization of American States, has officially stepped into the six-month chairmanship role of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) on Monday, with his term set to run through December 31, 2026.
A long-standing champion of cross-border sustainable growth, regional integration and multilateral collaboration, Sir Ronald brings decades of high-level leadership experience within the OAS ecosystem to this new post. He has previously held the presidency of the OAS Permanent Council three separate times — a rare accomplishment that has equipped him with unparalleled insights into navigating consensus-building and decision-making across the bloc’s 35 member states.
In his new role as CIDI chair, Sir Ronald will lead the council’s strategic deliberations and steer its collective work to advance holistic, inclusive development across the entire Americas region. He has outlined six core priority areas for his term: deepened cross-border cooperation in education, expanded knowledge-sharing in science and technology, sustainable growth for the tourism sector, enhanced energy resilience, upgraded port security frameworks, and expanded investment in maritime infrastructure. Each of these focus areas addresses urgent gaps holding back the sustainable, equitable development that governments and communities across Latin America and the Caribbean have identified as a top priority.
CIDI was formally established under the Protocol of Managua, which entered into force on January 29, 1996, with a clear mandate: to strengthen cooperation between OAS member states and align collective efforts to advance integral development across the Western Hemisphere. Today, integral development stands as one of the four foundational pillars of the Organization of American States, joining three other core mission areas: democracy, human rights, and multidimensional security. These four pillars work in tandem to reinforce one another, underpinning the OAS’s comprehensive approach to advancing lasting peace, shared prosperity and cross-regional cooperation across the Americas.
Sir Ronald’s assumption of the chairmanship arrives at a landmark juncture for the body: 2026 marks 30 years since CIDI first launched its work advancing inter-American cooperation and sustainable development. His leadership also comes at a critical moment for the region, as member states continue to grapple with shifting social, economic, environmental and technological disruptions, and the need for accessible, inclusive and resilient development solutions has reached an all-time high.