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THE OAS AND THE INTER-AMERICAN SYSTEM

A Shared Vision for the Americas

The Organization of American States (OAS) brings together the countries of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance common interests. It is the region’s premier forum for multilateral dialogue and concerted action.

At the core of the OAS mission is an unequivocal commitment to democracy, as expressed in the Inter-American Democratic Charter: “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” Building on this foundation, the OAS works to promote good governance, strengthen human rights, foster peace and security, expand trade, and address the complex problems caused by poverty, drugs and corruption. Through decisions made by its political bodies and programs carried out by its General Secretariat, the OAS promotes greater inter-American cooperation and understanding.

The OAS member states have intensified their cooperation since the end of the Cold War, taking on new and important challenges. In 1994 the region’s 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers met in Miami for the First Summit of the Americas, where they established broad political, economic and social development goals. They have continued to meet periodically since then to examine common interests and priorities. Through the ongoing Summits of the Americas process, the region’s leaders have entrusted the OAS with a growing number of responsibilities to help advance the countries’ shared vision.

Here are some of the ways in which the OAS is making a difference:

Defending democracy – The Inter-American Democratic Charter defines the essential elements of democracy and establishes guidelines for responding effectively when it is at risk. This landmark document, which the member states adopted on September 11, 2001—as it happened, the same day terrorists attacked the United States—provides a compass to guide the region’s collective action when democracy faces serious challenges.

The OAS plays a key role in strengthening democratic institutions and practices in the countries of the Americas. Through its Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD), the OAS has observed elections in a majority of its member states, helping to ensure transparency and integrity in the voting process. Guided by the principles of the Democratic Charter, the OAS also supports efforts to decentralize governments, modernize political parties, strengthen national legislatures, and consolidate democratic values and culture. It also works to promote a greater role for civil society in decision-making.

Protecting human rights – Despite the prevalence of freely elected governments in the Americas, the region continues to see such problems as police abuse, violations of due process of law, and lack of independence in the administration of justice. The OAS human rights system provides recourse to people in the Americas who have suffered violations of their rights by the state and who have been unable to find justice in their own country. The pillars of the system are the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, based in Washington, D.C., and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, located in San José, Costa Rica. These institutions apply the regional law on human rights.

The Commission examines petitions filed by individuals who claim the violation of a protected right and may recommend measures to be carried out by the state to remedy the violation. If the country involved has accepted the Inter-American Court’s jurisdiction, the Commission may submit the case to the Court for a binding decision.

The Commission also conducts on-site visits to member countries, at their invitation, to analyze and report on the status of human rights. It promotes human rights throughout the hemisphere, focusing attention on specific issues such as freedom of expression, the rights of indigenous peoples and women’s rights.

Strengthening Security – The OAS is working on a number of fronts to make the region safer. The Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (known as CICTE) seeks to prevent the financing of terrorism, strengthen border controls and increase cooperation among law enforcement authorities in different countries. The peaceful resolution of territorial disputes is another concern, and the OAS has created a Fund for Peace to provide support in this area.

The OAS also coordinates comprehensive international efforts to remove buried landmines that pose a threat to civilians in previous zones of conflict, including parts of Central America and along the border between Ecuador and Peru. In 2002, Costa Rica became the first of the affected countries to be declared free of landmines. The OAS also supports mine awareness and victim rehabilitation programs, and has helped several member states destroy stockpiled mines.

In 2003, the member states reviewed the hemisphere’s overall security structure in light of new threats and priorities, and reaffirmed their commitment to help preserve peace through close cooperation. “Peace is a value and a principle in itself, based on democracy, justice, respect for human rights, solidarity, security, and respect for international law,” they said in the Declaration on Security in the Americas.

Fostering Free Trade – Since the Summit process began, a central goal has been the creation of a hemisphere-wide trading zone, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Working in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the OAS Trade Unit has provided extensive technical support to the FTAA negotiations. It has placed particular emphasis on ensuring that the concerns of smaller economies are taken into account in the negotiating process.

In 2004, at the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, the hemisphere’s presidents and prime ministers reaffirmed “the important role that trade plays in promoting sustained growth and economic development.”

Combating illegal drugs – Through the OAS Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the nations of the hemisphere are strengthening anti-drug laws, enhancing prevention programs, and taking other steps to stem the trafficking of illegal narcotics, related chemicals and firearms. The Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM), which monitors progress against drugs in each country and the region as a whole, has significantly increased cooperation on this issue. By sharing knowledge on accomplishments, obstacles and strategies, the countries develop a clearer picture of needs and weaknesses and identify areas that warrant closer coordination, better legislation, more research or additional resources.

Fighting Corruption – In 1996 the OAS member countries adopted the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, the first treaty of its kind in the world. A monitoring process evaluates how countries that have ratified the treaty are complying with its key provisions. As with the anti-drug evaluation process, the goal is to strengthen cooperation among the countries to address shared problems.

The OAS also plays a leading role in other areas of inter-American cooperation. Government ministers in such areas as education, justice, labor, defense, culture and sustainable development meet regularly under its auspices. The OAS Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) has brought together government ministers responsible for policies to promote gender equity and equality. Such meetings help the countries coordinate strategies on specific issues and ensure that policies established through the Summits of the Americas reach the national level and that mandates are implemented. The OAS Summits of the Americas Secretariat provides technical, logistical and administrative support to the Summit process.

The OAS General Secretariat also carries out an array of programs in the member countries. For example, the OAS implements sustainable development programs in biodiversity conservation, planning for global climate change, natural disaster mitigation and river basin management. The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), for its part, coordinates regional efforts to develop the global information society.

An Inter-American Partnership

With four official languages – English, Spanish, Portuguese and French – the OAS reflects the rich diversity of peoples and cultures across the Americas. The OAS has 35 member states, the independent nations of North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. (The government of one member state, Cuba, has been barred from participation since 1962.) Countries from all around the world are permanent observers, closely following the issues that are critical to the Americas and often providing key financial support for OAS programs.

The member states set major policies and goals through the General Assembly, which gathers the hemisphere’s foreign ministers once a year in regular session. The Permanent Council, made up of ambassadors appointed by the member states, meets regularly at OAS headquarters in Washington to guide ongoing policies and actions. The chairmanship of the Permanent Council rotates every three months, in alphabetical order of countries. Each member state has an equal voice, and most decisions are forged through consensus.

Another political body, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), focuses on promoting economic development and combating poverty. The Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD) was established in 2000 to promote new and more effective forms of cooperation to fight poverty and promote social and economic development.

The OAS General Secretariat carries out the programs and policies set by the political bodies. It is led by the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General, who are elected by the member states to five-year terms. Specialized units in the General Secretariat focus on such areas as democracy, trade, tourism, social development and education. At OAS headquarters, the Columbus Memorial Library and Art Museum of the Americas are valuable resources for research and cultural enrichment.

Also under the OAS umbrella are several specialized agencies that have considerable autonomy, including the Washington-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN), based in Montevideo, Uruguay; the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in San José, Costa Rica; and the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) and the Inter-American Indian Institute (III), both headquartered in Mexico City.

In 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere signed the OAS Charter, affirming their commitment to common goals and their respect for each nation’s sovereignty. They also adopted the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the first international statement of its kind.

But the idea of inter-American cooperation dates back much further. In the 1820s, Simón Bolívar envisioned a region “united in heart.” In 1890, nations of the region formed the Commercial Bureau of American Republics, which evolved into the Pan American Union and later into the OAS. Since 1948, the Organization of American States has expanded to include the nations of the English-speaking Caribbean and Canada, giving the OAS a broader perspective that encompasses the entire hemisphere.

The transition from the Pan American Union to the OAS was smooth. The Director General of the former, Alberto Lleras Camargo, became the first Secretary General of the OAS .

Chapter Three, and specifically Article 4 of the Charter of the Organization of American States, provides that "all American States that ratify the present Charter are members of the Organization". This procedure has remained unchanged since the OAS Charter was drawn up, at the Ninth International Conference of American States (Bogota, Colombia, March 20-May 2, 1948).

Twenty-one American States participated in that conference. They were: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (By resolution of the Eight Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, 1962, the current Government of Cuba is excluded from participation in the OAS), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Subsequently, 14 other American States joined the Organization by signing and ratifying the Charter, as follows: Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago (1967), Jamaica (1969), Grenada (1975), Suriname (1977), Dominica and Saint Lucia (1979), Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981), Bahamas (1982), St. Kitts and Nevis (1984), Canada (1990), and Belize and Guyana (1991), bringing to 35 the number of Member States.

All 35 independent countries of the Americas have ratified the OAS Charter and belong to the Organization. Cuba remains a member, but its government has been excluded from participation in the OAS since 1962.