The General Assembly The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the OAS. It holds a regular session each year, either in one of the member states or at headquarters. In special circumstances, and with the approval of two thirds of the member states, the Permanent Council may convoke a special session of the General Assembly. Delegations from all the member states, usually headed by their foreign minister, have a right to be represented in the General Assembly and in all the councils. Among its responsibilities the General Assembly approves the program and budget of the Organization; sets the bases for fixing the quotas of the member states; establishes measures for coordinating the activities of the organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS; and determines the general standards that govern the operation of the General Secretariat. The Meeting of Consultation of There are two methods of initiating a Meeting of Consultation: under the Charter of the OAS or under the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty). A member state may request a Meeting of Consultation, either "to consider problems of an urgent nature and of common interest to the American States" (OAS Charter) or to serve as Organ of Consultation in cases of armed attack or other threats to international peace and security (Rio Treaty). In either case, the request must be directed to the Permanent Council of the Organization, which decides by absolute majority vote—that is, a majority of the body, whether voting or not voting-if the meeting is to be called. In the case of a situation or dispute between American states, the parties directly interested are excluded from all voting. Should an armed attack take place within the territory of an American state or within the Western Hemisphere security zone defined in the Rio Treaty, a Meeting of Consultation is held without delay. Until the ministers of foreign affairs can assemble, the Permanent Council is empowered to act as Provisional Organ of Consultation and to make decisions. The Meeting of Consultation may be assisted by an Advisory Defense Committee, composed of the highest military authorities of the American states. The Councils The three Councils of the OAS (the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Economic and Social Council, and the Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and Culture) are directly responsible to the General Assembly. Each has the authority granted in the Charter and other inter-American instruments, as well as functions assigned by the General Assembly and the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The Permanent Council, as has been mentioned, serves provisionally as Organ of Consultation and acts as the Preparatory Committee of the General Assembly. It has a subsidiary organ, the Inter-American Committee on Peaceful Settlement. The Council is composed of a representative of each member country with the rank of ambassador. The Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES for its Spanish initials) is charged with generating among the American nations the cooperation necessary to accelerate their economic and social development. It has two committees, the Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIES) and the Special Committee for Consultation and Negotiation (CECON). Regular annual meetings of CIES, and special meetings when necessary, are held to study and evaluate the economic and social progress of the member states. CIES is composed of a Permanent Representative for each member state. The overall objective of the Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and Culture (CIECC for its Spanish initials) is to promote friendship and mutual understanding among the peoples of the Americas through educational, scientific, and cultural cooperation and exchange. CIECC also holds regular and special meetings and has a Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIECC) plus special inter-American committees on education, science and technology, and culture. CIECC is composed of a Permanent Representative for each member state. The Inter-American Juridical Committee The Inter-American Juridical Committee acts as an advisory body to the OAS on juridical matters and is responsible for promoting the development and codification of international law. The Committee undertakes the studies and preparatory work assigned by the General Assembly, the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, or the Councils of the OAS. On its own initiative the Committee carries out other studies and preparatory work and recommends the convocation of specialized juridical conferences. The headquarters of the Committee is in Rio de Janeiro, although in special cases it may meet elsewhere. The Committee is composed of eleven jurists, nationals of member states, elected by the General Assembly from panels of candidates presented by member states. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) seeks to promote the observance and protection of human rights in the member states and serves as consultative organ of the OAS in these matters. It is composed of seven members, nationals of member states, according to the provision of the American Convention on Human Rights. The IACHR watches over the observance and respect of human rights by investigating-sometimes on scene-complaints of individuals or institutions alleging violations of human rights in the American countries. In order to develop an awareness of human rights, the Commission prepares studies, reports, and research for distribution to official institutions, educational centers, civic associations, unions, and others. It also organizes lectures, seminars, and exchange of information to foment interest in the study of human rights at the academic and professional levels. The permanent headquarters of the Commission is Washington, D.C., but, with the consent of the government, it may go into the territory of any OAS member state to hold meetings or carry out functions that are part of its mandate. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights The Court is an autonomous judicial institution whose purpose is to apply and interpret the American Convention on Human Rights (Pact of San José, November 1969). It is composed of seven jurists from OAS member countries. The Court's headquarters is in San José, Costa Rica. Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission* The primary goal of CICAD is to support and coordinate the efforts of member states to overcome the illicit production, use and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. CICAD is guided by the principles and objectives of the Program of Action of Rio de Janeiro against the Illicit Use and Production of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Traffic Therein. CICAD's initial priority activities, determined at its first regular session held April 21-25, 1987, in Washington, D.C., are to prevent the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances; to help member states modernize their legislation and harmonize it with that of other member states and to increase the effectiveness of enforcement efforts through training of public officials and widespread public awareness of the drug problem; to facilitate the exchange of experiences among judicial, police and customs officials of the member states in order to help promote greater intercountry and interagency cooperation; to organize a data bank on all the aspects covered by the Program of Rio de Janeiro; to provide technical support for member states to adopt more effective controls over the legal sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and of precursors, solvents and chemical products used in the manufacture of narcotic drugs; to develop an inter-American documentation center for the use of member states; in coordination with other international organizations, to promote and systematize studies and programs on crop eradication and substitution. *Compiled by the Congressional Research Service from CICAD documents The General Secretariat The General Secretariat is the permanent and central organ of the Organization of American States with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is the working arm that carries out the programs and policies decided upon by the General Assembly and the councils. As such, it occupies a key position within the inter-American system, serving the entire Organization and all its member governments. The Secretary General directs the General Secretariat; he is its legal representative and is reponsible to the General Assembly for the proper fulfillment of its obligations and functions. He participates in all the principal meetings of the Organization, but has no vote. The Assistant Secretary General is Secretary of the Permanent Council. He serves as adviser to the Secretary General and acts as his delegate in matters the Secretary General entrusts to him. During the temporary absence or disability of the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General performs his duties. The Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General are elected by the General Assembly and hold office for a period of five years. These two officers may be re-elected only once and may not be succeeded by a person of the same nationality. The staff of the General Secretariat is composed of personnel chosen mainly from the member states, with consideration given to geographic representation. However, there is no quota system. Staff is selected on the basis of competence, experience, and integrity. Administrative Tribunal It resolves disputes arising out of administrative decisions challenged by OAS employees who allege nonobservance of the conditions established in their respective appointments or contracts, or violation of the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat, and other applicable provisions, including those concerning the Retirement and Pension Plan of the General Secretariat. The Tribunal is composed of six members of different nationalities, elected in their personal capacities by the General Assembly to serve for a term of six years. At each session, the Tribunal functions with three members. The Specialized Conferences The Specialized Conferences meet to deal with special technical matters or to further inter-American cooperation in given areas. Specialized Conferences have covered a wide range of subjects: agriculture, labor, copyrights, private international law, economics, education, highways, ports and harbors, telecommunications, health and sanitation, natural resources, statistics, travel, child welfare, Indian affairs, human rights, cultural affairs, science and technology, tourism, and trade. The Specialized Organizations The OAS includes six Specialized Organizations, with headquarters in various cities of the Western Hemisphere: |