Permanent Representative to the OAS

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the Organization of American States

The status of Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States (OAS) was established by the General Assembly at its First Regular Session held in San José, Costa Rica, in 1971. Sri Lanka acceded to the OAS as a Permanent Observer on 22 February 1996.

As a Permanent Observer, Sri Lanka maintains a constructive and active partnership with the Organization through the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Washington, D.C. The OAS provides valuable opportunities for meaningful engagement in thematic discussions, access to policy and programmatic developments, and the strengthening of partnerships across the four principal pillars of the OAS; democracy, human rights, integral development, and security.

On 28 October 2022, Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe presented the Letters of Credence to H.E. Luis Almagro, then Secretary-General of the OAS, at the Headquarters of the OAS in Washington, D.C., accrediting him as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Observer to the OAS. Sri Lanka is among 75 countries currently holding permanent observer status.

For more information on the Organization of American States, please visit the official website of the OAS is at https://www.oas.org/en/default.asp

Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe, Permanent Observer of Sri Lanka to the Organization of American States

Contact details: ambpa@slembassyusa.org , slemb.washington@mfa.gov.lk