Organization of American States

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Organization of American States
Organisation des États Américains
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Seal of the Organization of American States
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Official languages English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Membership 35 countries
Leaders
 -  Secretary General José Miguel Insulza
Flag of Chile Chile (since 26 May 2005)
Establishment
 -  Charter first signed 30 April 1948
in effect 1 December 1951 
Website
http://www.oas.org/

The Organization of American States (OAS, or, as it is known in the three other official languages, OEA) is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas.

Contents

[edit] History

The notion of closer hemispheric union in the Americas was first put forward by Simón Bolívar who, at the 1826 Congress of Panama, proposed creating a league of American republics, with a common military, a mutual defense pact, and a supranational parliamentary assembly. This meeting was attended by representatives of Gran Colombia (comprising the modern-day nations of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela), Peru, the United Provinces of Central America, and Mexico, but the grandly titled "Treaty of Union, League, and Perpetual Confederation" was ultimately only ratified by Gran Colombia. Bolívar's dream soon floundered with civil war in Gran Colombia, the disintegration of Central America, and the emergence of national rather than continental outlooks in the newly independent American republics. Bolívar's dream of American unity was meant to unify Latin American nations against imperial domination by the U.S. or any other power, and Bolívar repeatedly and explicitly stated his fear of U.S. domination and involvement in regional unity projects.

The pursuit of regional solidarity and cooperation again came to the forefront in 1889–90, at the First International Conference of American States. Gathered together in Washington, D.C., 18 nations resolved to found the International Union of American Republics, served by a permanent secretariat called the Commercial Bureau of the American Republics (renamed the "International Commercial Bureau" at the Second International Conference in 1901–02). These two bodies, in existence as of 14 April 1890, represent the point of inception to which today's OAS and its General Secretariat trace their origins.

At the Fourth International Conference of American States (Buenos Aires, 1910), the name of the organization was changed to the "Union of American Republics" and the Bureau became the "Pan American Union".

Pan American Union headquarters building in Washington, D.C., 1943
Pan American Union headquarters building in Washington, D.C., 1943

The experience of World War II convinced hemispheric governments that unilateral action could not ensure the territorial integrity of the American nations in the event of extra-continental aggression. To meet the challenges of global conflict in the postwar world and to contain conflicts within the hemisphere, they adopted a system of collective security, the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) signed in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro.

The Ninth International Conference of American States was held in Bogotá between March and May 1948 and led by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, a meeting which led to a pledge by members to fight communism in America. This was the event that saw the birth of the OAS as it stands today, with the signature by 21 American countries of the Charter of the Organization of American States on 30 April 1948 (in effect since December 1951). The meeting also adopted the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the world's first general human rights instrument.

The transition from the Pan American Union to OAS was smooth. The Director General of the former, Alberto Lleras Camargo, became the Organization's first Secretary General. The current Secretary General is former Chilean foreign minister José Miguel Insulza.

Significant milestones in the history of the OAS since the signing of the Charter have included the following:

[edit] Goals and purpose

Pan American Union (building)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
OAS headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
OAS headquarters building in Washington, D.C.
Location: 17th St. between C St. and Constitution Ave., NW.
Washington, D.C.
Architect: Paul P. Cret
Added to NRHP: June 4, 1969
NRHP Reference#: 69000298

In the words of Article 1 of the Charter, the goal of the member nations in creating the OAS was "to achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence." Article 2 then defines eight essential purposes:

  • To strengthen the peace and security of the continent.
  • To promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention.
  • To prevent possible causes of difficulties and to ensure the pacific settlement of disputes that may arise among the member states.
  • To provide for common action on the part of those states in the event of aggression.
  • To seek the solution of political, judicial, and economic problems that may arise among them
  • To promote, by cooperative action, their economic, social, and cultural development.
  • To eradicate extreme poverty, which constitutes an obstacle to the full democratic development of the peoples of the hemisphere.
  • To achieve an effective limitation of conventional weapons that will make it possible to devote the largest amount of resources to the economic and social development of the member states.

Over the course of the 1990s, with the end of the Cold War, the return to democracy in Latin America, and the thrust toward globalization, the OAS made major efforts to reinvent itself to fit the new context. Its stated priorities now include the following:

  • Strengthening democracy: Between 1962 and 2002, the Organization sent multinational observation missions to oversee free and fair elections in the member states on more than 100 occasions. The OAS also works to strengthen national and local government and electoral agencies, to promote democratic practices and values, and to help countries detect and defuse official corruption.
  • Working for peace: Special OAS missions have supported peace processes in Nicaragua, Suriname, Haiti, and Guatemala. The Organization has played a leading part in the removal of landmines deployed in the Americas and it has led negotiations to resolve the continent's remaining border disputes (Guatemala/Belize; Peru/Ecuador). Work is also underway on the construction of a common inter-American counter-terrorism front.
  • Defending human rights: The agencies of the inter-American human rights system provide a venue for the denunciation and resolution of human rights violations in individual cases. They also monitor and report on the general human rights situation in the member states.
  • Fostering free trade: The OAS is one of the three agencies currently engaged in drafting a treaty that will establish a hemispheric free trade area from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
  • Fighting the drugs trade: The Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission was established in 1986 to coordinate efforts and crossborder cooperation in this area.
  • Promoting sustainable development: The goal of the OAS's Inter-American Council for Integral Development is to promote economic development and combating poverty. OAS technical cooperation programs address such areas as river basin management, the conservation of biodiversity, planning for global climate change, and natural disaster mitigation.

Article 19 of the OAS Charter prohibits any State from interferring with the internal or external affairs of a member state. Article 21 prohibits any State from the military occupation — even temporarily — of a Member State's territory. The Charter subscribes to international law but goes further, saying that Charter rights depend not on power but follow from the existence of the state. The United States is signatory to the OAS Charter, meaning that the U.S. (like other Members) is legally bound by Article 19, 21, and other Charter provisions. {See Membership].

[edit] General Assembly

Main article: General Assembly of the Organization of American States
  • Thirty-seventh regular session: Panama City, Republic of Panama, June 2007.
  • Thirty-sixth regular session: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, June 2006.
  • Thirty-fifth regular session: Fort Lauderdale, United States of America, June 2005.
  • Thirty-fourth regular session: Quito, Ecuador, June 2004.
  • Thirty-third regular session: Santiago, Chile, June 2003.
  • Thirty-second regular session: Bridgetown, Barbados, June 2002.
  • Thirty-first regular session: San José, Costa Rica, June 2001.
  • Thirtieth regular session: Windsor, Canada, June 2000.
  • Twenty-ninth regular session: Guatemala City, Guatemala, June 1999.
  • Twenty-eight regular session: Caracas, Venezuela, June 1998.
  • Twenty-seventh regular session: Lima, Peru, June 1997.
  • Twenty-sixth regular session: Panama City, Republic of Panama, June 1996.
  • Twenty-fifth regular session: Montrouis, Haiti, June 1995.
  • Twenty-fourth regular session: Belém do Pará, Brazil, June 1994.
  • Twenty-third regular session: Managua, Nicaragua, June 1993.
  • Twenty-second regular session: Nassau, The Bahamas, May 1992.
  • Twenty-first regular session: Santiago, Chile, June 1991.
  • Twentieth regular session: Asunción, Paraguay, June 1990.
  • Nineteenth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, November 1989.
  • Eighteenth regular session: San Salvador, El Salvador, November 1988.
  • Seventeenth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, November 1987.
  • Sixteenth regular session: Guatemala City, Guatemala, November 1986.
  • Fifteenth regular session: Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, December 1985.
  • Fourteenth regular session: Brasília, Brazil, November 1984.
  • Thirteenth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, November 1983.
  • Twelfth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, November 1982.
  • Eleventh regular session: Castries, Saint Lucia, December 1981.
  • Tenth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, November 1980.
  • Ninth regular session: La Paz, Bolivia, October 1979.
  • Eighth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, June/July 1978.
  • Seventh regular session: St. George's, Grenada, June 1977.
  • Sixth regular session: Santiago, Chile, June 1976.
  • Fifth regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, May 1975.
  • Fourth regular session: Atlanta, United States of America, April/May 1974.
  • Third regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, April 1973.
  • Second regular session: Washington, D.C., United States of America, April 1972.
  • First regular session: San José, Costa Rica, April 1971.

[edit] Membership and adhesions

All 35 independent (excludes French Guiana and Puerto Rico) nations of the Americas are members of the OAS. Upon foundation on 5 May 1948 there were 21 members:

Map indicating OAS membership. Founding members are dark green, follow-up members are bright green, and the single suspended member (Cuba) is colored lime.
Map indicating OAS membership. Founding members are dark green, follow-up members are bright green, and the single suspended member (Cuba) is colored lime.

The later expansion of the OAS was mostly among the newly independent nations of the Caribbean. Members with later admission dates (sorted chronologically):

[edit] Status of Cuba

Further information: Cuban relations with the Organization of American States

The current government of Cuba is excluded from participation in the Organization under a decision adopted by the Eighth Meeting of Consultation in Punta del Este, Uruguay, on 31 January 1962. The vote was passed by 14 in favor, with one against (Cuba) and six abstentions (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico). The operative part of the resolution reads as follows:

  1. That adherence by any member of the Organization of American States to Marxism-Leninism is incompatible with the inter-American system and the alignment of such a government with the communist bloc breaks the unity and solidarity of the hemisphere.
  2. That the present Government of Cuba, which has officially identified itself as a Marxist-Leninist government, is incompatible with the principles and objectives of the inter-American system.
  3. That this incompatibility excludes the present Government of Cuba from participation in the inter-American system. [1]

This means that the Cuban nation is still technically a member state, but that the current government is denied the right of representation and attendance at meetings and of participation in activities. The OAS's position is that although Cuba's participation is suspended, its obligations under the Charter, the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, etc. still hold: for instance, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights continues to publish reports on Cuba's human rights situation and to hear individual cases involving Cuban nationals. However, this stance is occasionally questioned by other individual member states.

Cuba's position was stated in an official note sent to the Organization "merely as a courtesy" by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Raúl Roa on 4 November 1964: "Cuba was arbitrarily excluded... The Organization of American States has no juridical, factual, or moral jurisdiction, nor competence, over a state which it has illegally deprived of its rights." [2]

The reincorporation of Cuba as an active member regularly arises as a topic within the inter-American system (e.g., it was intimated by the outgoing ambassador of Mexico in 1998) [3] but most observers do not see it as a serious possibility while the present government remains in power. On 6 May 2005, President Fidel Castro reiterated that the island nation would not "be part of a disgraceful institution that has only humiliated the honor of Latin American nations". [4] It is unclear what will happen in light of Fidel Castro's recent retirement and the ascent of his brother Raúl to power.

[edit] Observer countries

As of 2008 there are 61 permanent observer countries, including the international body European Union[1]

[edit] Official languages of the OAS

The Organization's official languages are Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French, the national languages of the majority of its member nations. The Charter, the basic instrument governing OAS, makes no reference to the use of official languages. These references are to be found in the Rules of Procedure governing the various OAS bodies. Article 51 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly,[2] the supreme body of the OAS, which meets once a year, states that English, French, Portuguese and Spanish are the four official languages. Article 28 stipulates that a Style Committee shall be set up with representatives of the four official languages to review the General Assembly resolutions and declarations. Article 53 states that proposals shall be presented in the four official languages. The Rules of Procedure and Statutes of other bodies, such as the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI), the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI), technical bodies of the OAS, also mention the four official languages in which their meetings are to be conducted. Policy is therefore dictated through these instruments that require use of the four official languages at meetings.[3]

Although a number of other languages have official status in one or more member states of OAS (Dutch in Suriname, Haitian Creole in Haiti, Quechua and Aymara in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, Guarani in Paraguay), they are not official languages of the Organization.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.der.oas.org/list_observers.html
  2. ^ General Assembly of the OAS, Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, June 5, 2000
  3. ^ Marguerite Groves (Coordinator, Division of Language Services, OAS), Information on the use of language at the OAS: multilingualism, Inter-American Languages Management Seminar, Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Quebec), Quebec City, August 20 to 22, 2002

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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