US Reviewing Membership in Organization of American States Over Venezuela, Haiti Response

The U.S. government is reviewing its membership in the Organization of American States (OAS) Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau told the group on June 26.

“I’m not sure I can predict how that review will turn out,” Landau said in his remarks to the general assembly. “That’s certainly something I’m open to discussing at this meeting so no one can say they’re surprised.”

He said the organization’s response to the “blatant theft” of the 2024 elections in Venezuela is a large reason the United States is reconsidering its membership and $1 billion in funding.

“The opposition not only won overwhelmingly, but had the evidence to prove it—the ‘actas.’  The regime didn’t even bother seriously to dispute the validity of the ‘actas’ or the electoral fraud,” Landau said. “In response to that brazen electoral fraud, what has this organization done? As far as we can tell, nothing of substance.”

The senior U.S. official emphasized that “the Chávez/Maduro regime” has transformed Venezuela from one of the most prosperous nations in the Western Hemisphere, to one of the “most wretched, subjecting its people to abject poverty and political repression, and leaving millions with little choice but to flee.”

Landau also mentioned the recent legislative and regional elections in Venezuela also “lacked transparency and fairness.”

It included elections for Venezuelan representatives to govern the state of Essequibo, which is part of the former British colony of Guyana.

Essequibo is a mineral-rich region with significant oil reserves that Venezuela has been claiming as its own for the past few years.

Landau also highlighted the lack of action in response to the political crisis in Haiti, which has allowed gangs to control the streets and ports in the capital Port-au-Prince, adding that “law and order there has practically collapsed.”

“And again, what has this organization done? Right now, a basic modicum of security is provided by a Kenyan-led multilateral force blessed by the U.N.,” he said, adding that if it “is unwilling or unable to play a constructive role in Haiti, then we must seriously ask ourselves why the OAS exists.”

He recalled that the OAS was created to achieve for member states peace and justice, foster solidarity, strengthen collaboration, and defend member’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.

He also said that his words are not meant to assign blame but rather an opportunity to extend the bond of friendship, which “is a two-way street.”

“I’m not sure that we’re in a position to do that right now, and I’m asking you in good faith to help me make that case,” he said, adding that he needs to soon convey his review of the organization to President Donald Trump.

Landau also mentioned that Cuban activist Rosa María Payá had been elected to lead OAS’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with the goal of prioritizing the most serious and pressing human rights abuses.

“This is not a time for mere words and slogans about hemispheric solidarity. It’s time for the OAS to show results … Let’s reject authoritarian and anti-democratic regimes and those that seek to pursue political vendettas through the judicial process,” he said.