A Fond Farewell to Belizean Nestor Mendez from the OAS

This month marks the end of an era for one of Belize’s most distinguished diplomats. The Organization of American States (OAS) is officially bidding farewell to Assistant Secretary General Nestor Mendez.

Mendez was re-elected in 2020 to serve an additional term as Assistant Secretary General. In his address at the last OAS assembly, he spoke on his approach and steadfast advocacy for innovation, equity, and institutional reform across the Americas.

Mendez reflected on a journey marked by both extraordinary challenges and groundbreaking achievements during his tenure in the OAS.

“Today was a day full of emotions for me,” he said in his final remarks. It’s difficult for me to pinpoint a specific big accomplishment; I can tell you all the things we did, the big things we did.”

Among his many accomplishments, Mendez highlighted the modernisation of OAS systems through technology, including the introduction of artificial intelligence to streamline internal procedures.

“The organisation sometimes takes long to change, but it’s not impossible, and that has started and is well underway.”

“We also try to focus on giving more visibility to more vulnerable populations… issues that are cross-cutting to the organisation but did not have a single place or a single platform to give visibility at a political level,” he said. “We worked with member states to make it part of the institutional calendar.”

Mendez is coming to the end of his five-year term, which concludes on July 11, 2025. “There were a lot of big things along the way and I’m glad i had the opportunity to do it,” he said.