Mr. Chairman,
Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza,
Distinguished Permanent Representatives,
Distinguished Permanent Observers,
Distinguished Delegates,
Special Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we bid farewell to an exceptional West Indian and respected Barbadian diplomat. Although this is a time of great sadness and loss, it is an honor to be able to share some thoughts on the life and legacy of Ambassador Valerie Theodore McComie, an individual whose personal commitment to promoting better understanding and cooperation throughout the hemisphere led him to the Office of Assistant Secretary General of the OAS.

Val McComie’s life was deeply rooted in the cultural identity, traditions and expectations of his beloved Caribbean; yet his vision became woven into the fabric of his commitment to unity in the Americas.
I did not have the good fortune to work with Ambassador McComie, but I was privileged to know him personally and to have benefited from the legacy of his invaluable contribution to the OAS.

I had the honor to be present when the Government of the Dominican Republic conferred upon him the Order of Christopher Columbus in October 2003.
When I formally took office at the OAS in July 2005, at which ceremony my two immediate predecessors were present, I made it a point, knowing of the inability of Val McComie to attend the ceremony, to visit him at his residence in Washington DC.

That visit became a very unique and special moment for me, because we spoke about inter-american affairs, and although Val could not express himself verbally, he spoke with the fire and emotion in his eyes and his expressions.

Val McComie was one of those Caribbean diplomats whose desire for a strong Caribbean identity met at the crossroads in time where colonial interests in the Caribbean was in decline and fresh winds of nationhood were blowing through the sub-region.

He did not shy away from this charge. He boldly embraced his new responsibilities with confidence. He demonstrated that geographic small size and a lack of international economic influence do not necessarily hinder a small country or a sub-region from sharing its perspective of unity and helping to shape a common hemispheric agenda. He demonstrated that the CARICOM not only could benefit from the OAS, but equally could contribute in many areas to strengthen democracy, human rights, rule of law and good governance, all issues of critical importance to many countries in our Hemisphere.

As the first Caribbean national to become an elected official in the OAS, Valerie Theodore McComie was tireless in ensuring that the OAS would be fertile ground from which to promote deeper cooperation between and among the nations of the hemisphere.

He came to the OAS as Assistant Secretary General, having been a very seasoned diplomat for Barbados and an exemplary international servant as well. Val McComie’s diplomatic achievements were not only in the arena of representing his country as ambassador to the OAS, the United Nations and to governments, including the United States, Brazil and Venezuela, but he was also instrumental in negotiating the entry of Barbados into the OAS family.

By the time Val McComie retired, after two terms as Assistant Secretary General, the entire hemispheric community acknowledged, with grateful accolades, this sterling contribution of this citizen of the Hemisphere to the building of a modern OAS.

In his final address, at the General Assembly in Paraguay in June 1990, Val McComie expressed that the had understood very well the nature of the premier inter-American organization, when he remarked that “the OAS is but a collective reflection of the political will of its member states.”

The courage of Ambassador McComie’s vision remains important today as we continue to address the issues he addressed in his inauguration speech on July 7, 1980. Almost three decades later, we realize that despite the evolution of dramatic events, and the external manifestation of the challenges facing our peoples, the battles are the same.

What distinguishes us in time and in outcome are the people of vision, leadership, and the strength of conviction to make a difference. Ambassador and OAS Assistant Secretary General, Val McComie was one such individual.

It is said that some people are born great and other have greatness thrust upon them. But there are also those few, ennobled by their humility and elevated by their compassion and dignity who simply do great things. I thank Ambassador Val McComie for forging a path to “enlarging the concept of our citizenship beyond the national frontiers to embrace regional and universal dimensions.”

The Columbus Memorial Library has mounted, just outside the doors of the Simon Bolivar, a display in honor of the memory of Ambassador Val McComie. We invite you to stop by.

And now, we are happy to share with you a video tribute to the late Ambassador Val McComie.