American Organizations

American Organizations Web Resources

• Organization of American States (OAS)
  • Inter-American Defense Board (IADB)
  • Pan American Health Organization (PAHO / OPS)
    • Representación en Argentina
    • Representación en Bolivia
    • Representação no Brasil
    • Representación en Colombia
    • Representación en Costa Rica
    • Representación en Cuba
    • Representación en El Salvador
    • Representación en Guatemala
    • Representación en Nicaragua
    • Representación en Panama
    • Representación en Peru
    • Office of Caribbean Program Coordination
  • Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
  • Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH)
• Inter-American Development Bank (IABD)
• Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI) [Association of Latin American Integration]
• Parlamento Latinoamericano (PARLATINO) [Latinamerican Parliament]
• Sistema Económico Latinoamericano (SELA) [Latinamerican Economic System]
• Organización Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Entidades Fiscalizadoras Superiores (OLACEFS) 
• Organización Latinoamericana de Energía (OLADE) [Latinamerican Organization of Energy]
• Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo (CLAD)
• Mercado Común del Cono Sur (MERCOSUR)
• Comunidad Andina [Andean Community]
  • Parlamento Andino [Andes Parliament]
  • Tribunal de Justicia de la Comunidad Andina [Court of Justice of the Andes Community]
  • Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF)
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) 
  • North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)
    • Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
  • North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation (NAALC)
  • North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO)
  • North American Development Bank (NADBank)
  • Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC)
• Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) [Centralamerican Integration System]
  • Parlamento Centroamericano (PARLACEN) [Centralamerican Parliament]
  • Secretaría de Integración Económica Centroamericana (SIECA) [Secretariat of the Centralamerican Economic Integration]
    • Consejo Monetario Centroamericano (CMCA) [Centralamerican Monetary Council]
    • Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (BCIE) [Centralamerican Bank for Economic Integration]
    • Instituto Centroamericano de Investigación y Tecnología (ICAITI) [Centralamerican Institute of Research and Technology]
  • Corte Centroamericana de Justicia (CCJ) [Centralamerican Court of Justice]
  • Instituto de Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá (INCAP) [Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama]
  • Comision Técnica Regional de Telecomunicaciones de Centro América (COMTELCA)
  • Comisión Centroamericana de Ambiente y Desarrollo (CCAD)
• Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
  • Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
  • Caribbean Environment Health Institute (CEHI)
  • Caribbean Meteorological Institute (CMI)
  • Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)
  • CARICOM Fisheries Resource Management Program (CFRAMP)
• Association of Caribbean States (ACS)
• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)
  • Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)
  • Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA)
  • Eastern Caribbean Investment Promotion Service (ECIPS)
  • Environment and Sustainable Development Unit (ESDU)
  • OECS Education Reform Unit (OERU)
  • Embassies of the Eastern Caribbean States and Missions to the European Communities in Brussels
  • High Commission for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States in Ottawa, Canada
• Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC)
• Caribbean Export Development Agency
• Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC)
• Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) [Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center]
• Comisión Permanente del Pacífico Sur (CPPS) 
• Comité Intergubernamental de la Hidrovía (CIH) [Intergovernmental Committee for the Hidrovia]
• Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)
• International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)
• International Joint Commission (IJC)

Charter of the Organization of American States

Note: for previous articles on Charter of the Organization of American States, see here.

Chapter XVII
THE SPECIALIZED CONFERENCES

Article 122

The Specialized Conferences are intergovernmental meetings to deal with special technical matters or to develop specific aspects of inter­American cooperation. They shall be held when either the General Assembly or the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs so decides, on its own initiative or at the request of one of the Councils or Specialized Organizations.

Article 123

The agenda and rules of procedure of the Specialized Conferences shall be prepared by the Councils or Specialized Organizations concerned and shall be submitted to the Governments of the Member States for consideration.

Chapter XVIII
THE SPECIALIZED ORGANIZATIONS

Article 124

For the purposes of the present Charter, Inter­American Specialized Organizations are the intergovernmental organizations established by multilateral agreements and having specific functions with respect to technical matters of common interest to the American States.

Article 125

The General Secretariat shall maintain a register of the organizations that fulfill the conditions set forth in the foregoing Article, as determined by the General Assembly after a report from the Council concerned.

Article 126

The Specialized Organizations shall enjoy the fullest technical autonomy, but they shall take into account the recommendations of the General Assembly and of the Councils, in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.

Article 127

The Specialized Organizations shall transmit to the General Assembly annual reports on the progress of their work and on their annual budgets and expenses.

Article 128

Relations that should exist between the Specialized Organizations and the Organization shall be defined by means of agreements concluded between each organization and the Secretary General, with the authorization of the General Assembly.

Article 129

The Specialized Organizations shall establish cooperative relations with world agencies of the same character in order to coordinate their activities. In concluding agreements with international agencies of a worldwide character, the Inter-American Specialized Organizations shall preserve their identity and their status as integral parts of the Organization of American States, even when they perform regional functions of international agencies.

Article 130

In determining the location of the Specialized Organizations consideration shall be given to the interest of all of the Member States and to the desirability of selecting the seats of these organizations on the basis of a geographic representation as equitable as possible.

Part Three
Chapter XIX
THE UNITED NATIONS

Article 131

None of the provisions of this Charter shall be construed as impairing the rights and obligations of the Member States under the Charter of the United Nations .

Chapter XX
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Article 132

Attendance at meetings of the permanent organs of the Organization of American States or at the conferences and meetings provided for in the Charter, or held under the auspices of the Organization, shall be in accordance with the multilateral character of the aforesaid organs, conferences, and meetings and shall not depend on the bilateral relations between the Government of any Member State and the Government of the host country .

Article 133

The Organization of American States shall enjoy in the territory of each Member such legal capacity, privileges, and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of its functions and the accomplishment of its purposes.

Article 134

The representatives of the Member States on the organs of the Organization, the personnel of their delegations, as well as the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General shall enjoy the privileges and immunities corresponding to their positions and necessary for the independent performance of their duties.

Article 135

The juridical status of the Specialized Organizations and the privileges and immunities that should be granted to them and to their personnel, as well as to the officials of the General Secretariat, shall be determined in a multilateral agreement. The foregoing shall not preclude, when it is considered necessary, the concluding of bilateral agreements.

Article 136

Correspondence of the Organization of American States, including printed matter and parcels, bearing the frank thereof, shall be carried free of charge in the mails of the Member States.

Article 137

The Organization of American States does not allow any restriction based on race, creed, or sex, with respect to eligibility to participate in the activities of the Organization and to hold positions therein.

Article 138

Within the provisions of this Charter, the competent organs shall endeavor to obtain greater collaboration from countries not Members of the Organization in the area of cooperation for development.

Chapter XXI
RATIFICATION AND ENTRY INTO FORCE

Article 139

The present Charter shall remain open for signature by the American States and shall be ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures. The original instrument, the Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the General Secretariat, which shall transmit certified copies thereof to the Governments for purposes of ratification. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the General Secretariat, which shall notify the signatory States of such deposit.

Article 140

The present Charter shall enter into force among the ratifying States when two thirds of the signatory States have deposited their ratifications. It shall enter into force with respect to the remaining States in the order in which they deposit their ratifications.

Article 141

The present Charter shall be registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations through the General Secretariat.

Article 142

Amendments to the present Charter may be adopted only at a General Assembly convened for that purpose. Amendments shall enter into force in accordance with the terms and the procedure set forth in Article 140.

Article 143

The present Charter shall remain in force indefinitely, but may be denounced by any Member State upon written notification to the General Secretariat, which shall communicate to all the others each notice of denunciation received. After two years from the date on which the General Secretariat receives a notice of denunciation, the present Charter shall cease to be in force with respect to the denouncing State, which shall cease to belong to the Organization after it has fulfilled the obligations arising from the present Charter.

Chapter XXII
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS

Article 144

The Inter-American Committee on the Alliance for Progress shall act as the permanent executive committee of the Inter-American Economic and Social Council as long as the Alliance is in operation.

Article 145

Until the inter- American Convention on Human Rights , referred to in Chapter XV, enters into force, the present Inter­American Commission on Human Rights shall keep vigilance over the observance of human rights.

Article 146

The Permanent Council shall not make any recommendation nor shall the General Assembly take any decision with respect to a request for admission on the part of a political entity whose territory became subject, in whole or in part, prior to December 18, 1964, the date set by the First Special Inter-American Conference, to litigation or claim between an extracontinental country and one or more Member States of the Organization, until the dispute has been ended by some peaceful procedure. This article shall remain in effect until December 10, 1990.

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

American Convention on Human Rights, Charter of the Organization of American States, Charter of the United Nations, country.