Background Notes: OAS
PA/PC
Source: Office of Public Communication, Bureau of Public
Affairs
Date: Sep 15, 19919/15/91
Category: Country Data
Region: South America, Central America, Caribbean,
North America
Subject: Travel, History, International Organizations,
Trade/Economics, OAS, Human Rights, Terrorism,
Narcotics, Democratization, Environment
[TEXT]
September 1991
Official Name: Organization of American States
PROFILE
Headquarters: Washington, DC.
Established: April 14, 1890, as the "International Union of
American Republics." Became the Pan American Union in 1910, then
the Organization of American States in 1948 with the adoption of
the OAS Charter in Bogota, Colombia.
Purposes: To strengthen peace and security in the hemisphere,
promote representative democracy, ensure the peaceful settlement
of disputes among members, provide for common action in the event
of aggression, and to promote economic, social, and cultural
development.
Members: 35--Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas,
Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago,
United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.*
* With the entry of Canada (1990), Belize (1991), and Guyana
(1991), all sovereign states of the Western Hemisphere are OAS
members. Cuba is a member, although its present government has
been excluded from participation since 1962 for incompatibility
with the principles of the OAS Charter.
Permanent Observers: 28--Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt,
Equatorial Guinea, European Community, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, the Holy See, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, South
Korea, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and Tunisia.
Official Languages: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Principal Organs: General Assembly; Meeting of Consultation of
Foreign Ministers; Permanent Council; Inter-American Economic and
Social Council; Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and
Culture; Inter-American Juridical Committee; Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights; and the General Secretariat.
Specialized Organizations: Inter-American Commission of Women
(CIM); Inter-American Children's Institute (IACI); Inter-American
Indian Institute (IAII); Pan American Institute of Geography and
History (PAIGH); Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA); and the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO).
Other Entities: Inter-American Court of Human Rights; Inter-
American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD); Inter-American
Defense Board; Inter-American Defense College; Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB); and the Pan American Development
Foundation (PADF).
Budget (1991): Regular fund (operations): $63 million, financed by
assessed contributions from all members. The US share, originally
66%, will drop to 59% by 1994.
Voluntary funds (technical cooperation and assistance): $23
million, financed by contributions from all member states (the US
provided $10 million), some permanent observers, international
financial institutions, and development agencies.
HISTORY
The Organization of American States, the oldest international
organization in the world, traces its origins to the Congress of
Panama, convoked by Simon Bolivar in 1826 and attended by
representatives from Central and South America. That Congress
drafted a "Treaty of Perpetual Union, League and Confederation,"
signed by the delegates but ratified only by Gran Colombia (today's
Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela).
Hemispheric countries continued the discussion of an inter-
American system, and the first concrete step was taken in 1889,
when the First International Conference of American States
convened in Washington, DC. Delegates agreed to create, on April
14, 1890, the International Union of American Republics, "for the
prompt collection and distribution of commercial information." The
agreement also established the Commercial Bureau of the American
Republics in Washington as the Union's secretariat, with the
participation of 18 Western Hemisphere nations, including the
United States. In 1910, the Commercial Bureau became the Pan
American Union, and American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie
donated $5 million to construct a permanent headquarters in
Washington, DC.
Despite progress toward regional solidarity, it became clear
that unilateral action could not ensure the territorial integrity of
the American nations in the event of extra-continental aggression,
such as occurred in World War II. To meet the challenges of global
conflict in the post-war world, nations of the hemisphere adopted a
system of collective security, the Inter-American Treaty of
Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) signed in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro.
This served as a model for the 1948 North Atlantic Treaty.
The OAS Charter was adopted at the ninth international
conference of American states in Bogota, Colombia, in 1948. It
reaffirmed the fundamental rights and duties of states, proclaimed
the goals of the new organization, and established the organs and
agencies which comprise it. The ninth conference also approved the
American Treaty on Pacific Settlement (Pact of Bogota) and the
American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. The OAS
Charter proclaims it to be a regional agency within the UN system.
Concern over slow economic development led the United States
and 19 other OAS members to establish the Inter-American
Development Bank in 1959. This reflected concern that the World
Bank (which included Latin American countries in its list of eligible
borrowers) was preoccupied with infrastructure and not
sufficiently attuned to the need for "social" lending as well as
industrial and agricultural aid. In 1960, an OAS "Committee of 21"
produced the Act of Bogota, which called for a hemisphere-wide
commitment to economic and social development. That set the
stage for OAS support for the Alliance for Progress.
The 1948 OAS Charter has been amended twice: by the 1967
Protocol of Buenos Aires, which went into effect in February 1970,
and by the 1985 Protocol of Cartagena, which took effect in
November 1988. The first protocol created the annual General
Assembly and gave equal status to the Permanent Council, the
Economic and Social Council, and the Council for Education, Science,
and Culture. The second group of amendments strengthened the role
of the Secretary General, provided procedures for facilitating
peaceful settlement of disputes, removed obstacles to the entry of
Belize and Guyana, and called for strengthening economic and social
development by measures to increase trade, enhance international
financial cooperation, diversify exports, and promote export
opportunities.
The basic objectives of the OAS, as laid out in its charter, are
to strengthen peace and security; to promote the effective exercise
of representative democracy; to ensure the peaceful settlement of
disputes among members; to provide for common action in the event
of aggression; to seek solutions to political, juridical, and economic
problems that may arise; to promote by cooperative action,
economic, social, educational, scientific, and cultural development;
and to limit conventional weapons so as to devote greater resources
to economic and social development.
Peace and democracy are thus core OAS concerns. OAS election
observation in Nicaragua in 1989-90, in Haiti in 1990-91, and in El
Salvador, Paraguay, and Suriname in 1991 are important
manifestations of this role. In Nicaragua, the OAS took primary
responsibility for the voluntary repatriation and resettlement of
the former Nicaraguan Resistance, in accordance with the terms of
the verification commission established by Central American
presidents. OAS contributions in the fields of international law,
juridical cooperation, legal development, and facilitation of
regional trade have been substantial and have provided the basis for
effective observance of a host of regional treaties concluded since
1889.
As it enters its second century, the OAS has deepened its
efforts to promote and consolidate democracy. A Democracy
Development Unit and highly successful election observation
missions set the stage for broadened human rights work, a regional
program to fight drug abuse and trafficking, and the first
hemisphere-wide environmental action plan. The OAS is also
playing a supportive role in trade expansion and hemispheric
development in association with President Bush's Enterprise for the
Americas Initiative (EAI). The EAI received enthusiastic backing at
the June 1991 OAS General Assembly: a resolution declared the EAI
to be a positive new approach to trade, investment, and external
debt and mandated OAS support in trade and in coordination with the
Inter-American Development Bank.
US POLICY TOWARD THE OAS
The US is committed to the OAS as the pre-eminent
hemispheric institution. This reflects the US Government's
determination to make optimal use of multilateral diplomacy to
resolve regional problems and to engage our neighbors on topics of
hemispheric concern. President Bush told the OAS foreign ministers
in 1989 that, Latin America and the Caribbean are reaching out to
the US, as I hope we are to you, in a new partnership--a partnership
based on, as I said earlier, mutual respect, and I would add now,
mutual responsibility.
The most elemental and historic US interest in the Western
Hemisphere--shared by virtually all hemisphere states--is to
prevent military, political, or other intervention by states outside
the hemisphere. A second fundamental interest shared by the US
and other nations is the maintenance of peace among the states of
the hemisphere. The OAS provides a means to promote the
consolidation of democracy with due regard for the charter
principle of non-intervention.
All OAS members share a common concern for democracy,
economic development, and human rights. Major US interests and
objectives in the hemisphere coincide with the goals and work of
the OAS: the promotion and strengthening of democracy and human
rights, drug control, environmental protection, legal development,
economic assistance and technical cooperation, trade, and economic
integration and development.
In 1990, for the first time since 1982, the US was able to pay
its full assessed quota to the OAS. For FY 1992, the Administration
seeks not only full funding of the US quota assessment to the OAS
but also funds to pay the balance of US arrears. If appropriated,
arrears payments will be made in roughly equal installments over
the next 4 years.
STRENGTHENING DEMOCRACY
Secretary Baker told the 1989 OAS General Assembly that, "We
have it in our power to create, here, in the Americas, the world's
first completely democratic hemisphere." OAS monitoring of the
election process in Nicaragua contributed decisively to the outcome
of the February 1990 elections and enhanced the prospects for a
just and lasting peace in Central America. While the OAS, at the
request of the host government concerned, has sent small teams of
elections observers throughout the hemisphere, the magnitude and
scope of the mission in Nicaragua--433 observers and an OAS
presence 6 months before the elections and for weeks afterward--
suggested the need to institutionalize OAS support for democracy.
To develop lessons learned in these observations, the OAS
Secretary General set up a democracy unit in the OAS Secretariat.
Although its resources are limited, the unit has made an enviable
beginning toward building peace and democracy in some of the
region's most difficult circumstances.
The 1991 General Assembly created an unprecedented
automatic mechanism to deter illegal action against democratically
elected governments. The Assembly authorized the Secretary
General to convene the Permanent Council and then hemispheric
foreign ministers within 10 days after a coup or other interruption
of a legitimate, elected government.
For election observation, the OAS creates an infrastructure
which provides communications, housing, transportation, data-
handling capabilities, and a parallel voting tabulation system, with
observers in all election districts. This network also serves
observers sent by the UN and other groups.
In Haiti, at the end of 1990, the OAS fielded the largest single
contingent of foreign observers--a group of 202 observers from 22
countries, including many Caribbean nations. The effort benefited
from one of the newest members of the OAS-- Canada, which sent
the head of the Quebec electoral council to coordinate the
observation activity. As in Nicaragua, OAS observers stayed
through the inauguration.
In El Salvador's March 1991 assembly elections, the UN
declined to send observers because of its mediating role, and the
OAS was the only intergovernmental organization present. OAS
officers worked with the electoral commission and the competing
political parties to prepare the elections, and 160 observers from
OAS member states helped assure equitable treatment for all.
PEACE-KEEPING AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Peaceful settlement of disputes is central to the OAS under its
own mandate and is consistent with the UN Charter. In border
conflict situations, beyond actual intervention, the very existence
of the OAS and the possibility that it might take action tends to
have a chilling effect on any unilateral resort to force. For
example, in 1981,
-- Peru and Ecuador announced a cessation of their border
conflict at an OAS meeting convened for the purpose of considering
that conflict;
-- In 1988, a naval incident between Colombia and Venezuela
was defused following a public appeal by the OAS Secretary General
and special sessions of the Permanent Council; and
-- In 1989, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago died in a shooting
incident between a Trinidadian fishing trawler and a Venezuelan
National Guard patrol boat. At the request of the two governments,
the OAS Secretary General appointed three experts, whose
recommendations led to a solution accepted by both sides.
In the 1960s and 1970s, OAS peace-keeping took several
forms:
-- In 1964, in response to proof of Cuban support for
revolutionary groups in Venezuela, the OAS voted that members
should break diplomatic relations with Cuba;
-- In the Dominican Republic in May 1965, the OAS played the
central peace-keeping role, creating an Inter-American peace force
for the first time. After successful elections in June 1966, the
force was withdrawn;
-- The OAS provided the framework and impetus for
resolution of a 1969 border conflict (called the "Soccer War")
between Honduras and El Salvador, including border- inspection
forces in 1969-70 and for the 4 years following a recurrence of
tensions in 1976; and
-- In 1978, the OAS responded to Costa Rican allegations of
border violations by Nicaragua by creating a committee of civilian
observers to monitor the border. In 1978, the OAS also sought to
arrange the peaceful departure of dictator Anastasio Somoza from
Nicaragua and his replacement by a democratic government, but the
effort failed in the face of Somoza's determination to stay in
power. The following year, however, as armed resistance against
Somoza mounted, an OAS resolution called for replacement of the
Somoza regime by a democratic government.
Panama
The OAS convened a meeting of foreign ministers when Manuel
Noriega annulled Panama's May 1989 elections. Although the OAS
did not succeed in obtaining Noriega's departure from power, the
Panama case showed that the OAS could be used by member
governments to communicate their collective concerns to a broader
public. September 1 was the constitutionally established date for
the transfer of presidential power in Panama and was recognized as
such by the foreign ministers. On August 31, 1989, Acting US
Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger delivered a detailed
statement to the Permanent Council. That statement, together with
OAS actions--including a sharply critical report by the Inter-
American Commission on Human Rights, which characterized the
Noriega regime as "devoid of constitutional legitimacy"--
contributed significantly to the international isolation of the
Noriega regime and, subsequently, to recognition of the legitimacy
of the elected government of President Endara.
Nicaragua
During the tense pre-election period in 1989, OAS monitoring
in Nicaragua contributed decisively to the outcome of the February
25, 1990, elections. The presence of impartial OAS observers gave
voters confidence and made it impossible for the results to be
ignored.
The success of the OAS observation program was due to a
number of factors, including the trust extended it by the people of
Nicaragua, the high standards of the technical infrastructure the
OAS put in place with support from other members of the OAS
family of organizations--the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on
Agriculture (IICA)--and the support of OAS member states in
providing observers, technical experts, and advisers. The United
States contributed $3.5 million and technical advice. Members of
the US Congress joined legislators from other hemisphere countries
as observers.
In response to requests from incoming President Chamorro and
outgoing President Ortega, Secretary General Baena Soares kept OAS
observers in Nicaragua after the election. Meanwhile, he and UN
Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar negotiated terms of
reference for their organizations to implement the joint
verification and support commission (CIAV) called for by the
Central American presidents to verify compliance with the Tela and
subsequent agreements. Under CIAV auspices, the OAS stayed on to
assist 23,000 former combatants (with about 70,000 dependents)
and to protect their human rights. All sides often call upon OAS
representatives to resolve local disputes.
HUMAN RIGHTS: THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION
Located in Washington, DC, the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights (IACHR) has been called the conscience of the
hemisphere. It is distinguished from other multilateral
organizations' human rights entities by its political autonomy. Its
seven commission members are elected in their own right, not as
representatives of governments. IACHR autonomy is further
enhanced by its prerogative to initiate human rights investigations
without the approval of the Secretary General or the Permanent
Council.
Human rights in the inter-American system are based on the
1948 American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the
1969 American Convention on Human Rights. The United States
signed the American Convention on Human Rights in 1977;
ratification is under study.
The IACHR and Inter-American Court of Human Rights--located
in San Jose, Costa Rica--give the OAS an active and at times
forceful role in promoting and protecting human rights. Through
both private persuasion and published reports on human rights
infringements, the IACHR has been instrumental in improving OAS
members' human rights practices and has helped to resolve
conflicts.
The IACHR's annual report has chapters on human rights
problems in general, individual cases, and country status reports.
The IACHR also publishes special reports, which have been effective
in challenging abuses in Panama, Nicaragua, Cuba, Chile, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Suriname, Haiti, and Paraguay, among others. Its 1983
special report on human rights abuses in Cuba is the most
comprehensive of any private or international monitoring agency.
The IACHR played a key role in the 1989 release of almost 2,000
political prisoners held by the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.
The IACHR's membership as of January 1992 is: Dr. Patrick L.
Robinson (Jamaica); Dr. Leo Valladares Lanza (Honduras); Dr. Oscar
Lujan Fappiano (Argentina); Alvaro Tirado Mejia (Colombia); Dr.
Marco Tulio Bruni Celli (Venezuela); Dr. Oliver H. Jackman
(Barbados); and Prof. W. Michael Reisman (USA).
FIGHTING DRUG ABUSE AND TRAFFICKING
The OAS narcotics program was launched at the first Western
Hemisphere meeting to deal with all aspects of the drug problem--
the Inter-American Specialized Conference on Traffic in Narcotic
Drugs, held in April 1986. In accordance with the program of
action adopted at that meeting, the OAS General Assembly in
November 1986 created the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control
Commission (CICAD), which meets twice a year to direct the
program and assess the drug situation in the hemisphere. Originally
composed of 11 member governments, the commission has been
expanded to 22 because of growing interest in the program and
concern for the drug problem.
The first projects were implemented in 1988. The program
has identified five priority lines of action: Legal development for
domestic and international law, education for prevention,
mobilization of the private sector, establishment of an inter-
American drug information system, and training.
The program has produced notable results:
-- At the April 1990 Ministerial Meeting on Narcotics in
Ixtapa, Mexico, top officials from throughout the hemisphere,
including US Attorney General Thornburgh, took several actions in
the area of legal development, including approval of model
regulations on the control of precursor and essential chemicals and
the establishment of a group of experts to draft model legislation
on money laundering and the seizure of assets derived from
trafficking.
-- Senior education officials of all OAS governments approved
a plan of action for regional cooperation in drug abuse prevention
education at a meeting in Quito, Ecuador, in June 1990. Elements of
the plan are now being implemented.
-- CICAD's efforts to mobilize private groups and community
organizations to fight drug abuse and trafficking were boosted by
the first multilateral teleconference on public and private sector
cooperation for drug abuse prevention campaigns, carried live to 12
countries by INTELSAT in May 1990.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
For 25 years, the OAS has actively assisted member states to
incorporate environmental considerations into development
projects. International development institutions have recognized
the organization's in-house expertise and leadership role, and a
number of these institutions have undertaken cooperative
initiatives with the OAS or contracted the OAS to serve as an
executing agency for their environmental projects.
During the 1960s, OAS technical services concentrated on the
survey, evaluation, and development of natural resources. In the
1970s, the scope was expanded to include the principal components
of regional development such as socio-economic analysis,
preparation of regional strategies for development, project
formulation, environmental management, and institutional
development. In the 1980s, special emphasis was placed upon
multinational projects involving the management and conservation
of natural resources, preservation of tourism areas and national
parks, development of river basins and border regions, and
mitigation of natural hazards.
The 1991 General Assembly approved the first hemispheric
program of action for environmental protection. It provides a non-
binding framework that identifies objectives and recommends
specific measures to member states for regional cooperation.
ORGANIZATION
The General Secretariat is the permanent and central organ of
the OAS, executing programs and policies decided upon by the
General Assembly and the three councils. Directed by the Secretary
General, it occupies a key position within the inter-American
system and serves the entire organization and all member states.
The Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General are
elected by the General Assembly for 5-year terms. They can be re-
elected only once and cannot be succeeded by a person of the same
nationality.
Senior secretariat officials appointed by the Secretary
General include the executive secretaries of CIES, CIECC (see
below), and the drug abuse control commission (CICAD), the legal
adviser, the assistant secretary for management, and the executive
director of the human rights commission. Secretariat personnel
conduct the activities of the Democracy Development Unit and serve
as the staff for the commissions, councils, and other bodies.
The staff of the general secretariat is composed of personnel
chosen mainly from the member states, with consideration given to
geographic representation. Staff members, numbering about 700,
selected on the basis of competence, experience, and integrity, are
considered international civil servants. The OAS Secretariat also
maintains a small office in each member state.
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 Washington, DC. In special
circumstances, and with the approval of two-thirds of the member
states, the Permanent Council can convoke a special session of the
General Assembly. Delegations are usually headed by foreign
ministers. In addition to deliberating on current issues, the General
Assembly approves the program and budget; sets the bases for
fixing member-state quota assessments; 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. General Assembly decisions
usually take the form of resolutions, which must be approved by a
majority vote of all members (two-thirds for agenda, budget, and
certain other questions).
A Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs can
be called by any member state, either "to consider problems of an
urgent nature and of common interest to the American States" (OAS
Charter) or to serve as an 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 OAS, which decides by absolute majority
vote if the meeting is to be called. In cases between member
states, the affected parties are excluded from voting. Should an
armed attack take place within the territory of an American state
or within the Western Hemisphere security zone defined by 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 a provisional organ of consultation and make
decisions. The most recent meeting of consultation was called at
Venezuela's initiative in May 1989 to deal with Noriega's annulment
of Panama's May 7 elections. OAS Foreign Ministers met on four
occasions and sent a three-member commission to Panama to
attempt to restore democracy in Panama, but Noriega resisted all
efforts.
The Permanent Council, composed of ambassadors
representing each member state, usually meets every 2 weeks
throughout the year in Washington, DC. The council, its four
standing committees, and special working groups conduct the day-
to-day business of the OAS, which involves considering requests
from members, debating and approving resolutions on current
issues, and dealing with reports from subsidiary organs.
In an emergency, a special session of the council can be called
immediately by its chairman or at the request of any member. The
chair rotates every 3 months, in alphabetical order. Unlike the UN
Security Council, no member can exercise a veto in the Permanent
Council. Many OAS members place great importance upon obtaining
consensus before decisions are made; thus council sessions are
often delayed by behind-the-scenes negotiations over the precise
content of decisions. The Permanent Council also serves
provisionally as the organ of consultation (for meetings of foreign
ministers) and every year acts as the preparatory committee for the
General Assembly.
The Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES),
founded in 1945, is one of the permanent organs under provisions of
the 1948 charter. It promotes cooperation among the nations of
the Americas in pursuit of rapid economic and social development.
The council meets yearly at the ministerial level and also can meet
in special session. CIES has two committees--the Permanent
Executive Committee (CEPCIES) and the Special Committee for
Consultation and Negotiation (CECON).
CEPCIES, created in 1974, holds several regular meetings a
year and can hold special meetings as well. One key aspect of its
functions is reviewing technical assistance projects and other
activities. Another is its advance review and discussion of issues
to be raised at the annual CIES meeting.
CECON, established in 1970, is designed to serve as an
instrument of consultation and negotiation between the United
States and other member states. It meets in regular session at
least once a year and can hold consultative meetings to address
important and urgent problems in the field of trade. The most
recent meetings of CECON considered subjects such as US trade
policy measures and proposals which affect Latin America and the
Caribbean, the US Generalized System of Preferences, the Export
Enhancement Program of the US Department of Agriculture, Panama
Canal tolls, development of a plan of action to control trade of
dangerous toxic products, and the Enterprise for the Americas
Initiative.
CIES oversees a program of technical assistance provided to
member countries by the OAS Secretariat. For example, in recent
years, the council has implemented projects involving the
strengthening of financial administration for development;
tourism development; trade development and facilitation; non-
formal skills training for employment; assisting the development
and productivity of medium, small, and "micro" businesses;
development of border regions and river basins; natural resources
development and environmental management; and planning to
mitigate damage caused by natural disasters. In addition, nine
inter-American centers located in five countries provide training
ranging from development of statistical capability to capital
market development.
The CIES secretariat's expertise enables it to multiply the
assistance funds donated by member governments with external
financial resources from several European donors, the Inter-
American Development Bank, UN Development Program, the US
Agency for International Development (USAID), and the private
sector. CIES manages the OAS trade information service known as
SICE, which uses private sector, USAID, and member government
contributions to make trade information available in a coherent,
easy-to-use data bank. Designed to promote economic growth
through trade facilitation, SICE consists of 13 databases, which
include current trade statistics, import tariffs, trade regulations,
and lists of potential buyers and sellers.
The Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and Culture
(CIECC) was established by the OAS Charter. Changes were
introduced to the organization's technical assistance activities as a
result of the 1967 meeting of the hemisphere's presidents in Punta
del Este, Uruguay. In 1968, the resolution of Maracay created the
Inter-American Council for Education, Science and Culture (CIECC)
to advance regional integration and contribute to the development
of the member countries. It has managed to remain free of
extraneous political issues and has concentrated on the technical
work entrusted to it, for which it has an annual budget of $27
million.
CIECC meets annually at ministerial level (ministers of
education) to discuss and approve the policies for the work of the
council. The 1988 meeting called for an in-depth evaluation of the
goals, objectives, and achievements of the resolution of Maracay at
its 20-year anniversary.
Starting in 1990, CIECC began to implement the new priority
multinational projects in basic education, education for work,
materials technology, biotechnology and food, environment and
natural resources, micro-electronics and informatics, preservation
and use of cultural heritage, and cultural policies. Apart from the
multinational aspect, these projects must have a strong training
component and seek to build the infrastructure of the country.
CIECC manages an efficient$8 million annual graduate
fellowship program. More than 80,000 Latin American and
Caribbean students have benefited from CIECC and related
fellowship programs. The program effectively has created a
network of specialists working in government or cooperation
agencies, as well as in private business.
Specialized Organizations and Other Entities
Much important inter-American business is conducted under
separate entities, some of which are independent, some fully or
partially funded by the OAS, and others consisting simply of
periodic hemispheric meetings which receive support from the OAS
Secretariat.
Subjects covered include agriculture, labor, copyrights,
private international law, highways, ports and harbors, railways,
telecommunications, health and sanitation, statistics, travel, child
welfare, Indian affairs, and tourism. The conferences are attended
by high-level officials and technical experts to further inter-
American cooperation in these fields.
The Inter-American Children's Institute (IACI), with
headquarters in Montevideo, Uruguay, is concerned with the
problems of mothers, adolescents, and families, including growing
numbers of "street children." It serves as a center for social
action, programs in the fields of health, education, social
legislation, legislation on adoptions, social service, and statistics.
IACI has contributed extensively to international jurisprudence in
the field of family law; the most recent example of this work is
model legislation on international adoption.
The Inter-American Commission on Women (CIM), established
in 1928, was the first international organization focusing on
women's issues. It works to extend the civil, political, economic,
social, and cultural rights of women in the hemisphere. Since its
founding, women have gained full political rights in every member
country. Now concerned with women's integration into development
and decision-making processes, recent CIM research and seminars
have focused on women and politics (1988), women and employment
(1989), and violence against women (1990).
The Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) was created during
World War II to plan and coordinate collective hemispheric defense.
It advises the OAS on defense matters and has coordinated peace-
keeping operations.
The Inter-American Defense College (IADC), supervised by the
IADB, enhances military professionalism and promotes regional
military cooperation. The college usually trains about 60 students,
most of whom are field-grade officers who attain leadership
positions in their respective services. In 1991, the college opened
its doors for the first time to students from all OAS member
states, whether or not they are signatories of the Rio Treaty.
Other entities in the inter-American system are financed
outside the OAS budget. Except for the Pan American Development
Foundation, which relies heavily on private-sector contributions,
and the IDB, which has significant financial support from non-
hemispheric members, the US quota assessment is roughly 60%, or
similar to that for the OAS.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the first of the
regional development banks, was established in 1959 as a result of
deliberations in the OAS to provide lending attuned to the
development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition
to nations of the hemisphere, 15 European nations plus Japan and
Israel are now members, but only Latin American and Caribbean
members are eligible borrowers. The IDB's ordinary capital window
provides development funds at market-related terms, while its Fund
for Special Operations offers financing for economic or social
development when lending on conventional terms is not appropriate
to conditions of the country and/or project.
The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture
(IICA), headquartered in San Jose, Costa Rica, assists member
states in promoting rural development to advance the well-being
and progress of entire populations. By strengthening national
agricultural institutional systems, IICA supports member state
efforts to increase agricultural productivity, employment
opportunities in rural sectors, and rural participation in
development activities. IICA has an excellent record in preventing
the spread of threatening animal and plant diseases in the
hemisphere and in helping members develop food production.
The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) is also the
Western Hemisphere arm of the UN World Health Organization (WHO).
It works closely with member countries to coordinate hemispheric
efforts to combat disease and promote physical and mental health.
It has contributed significantly to eradicating communicable
diseases and promoting improved sanitation and health conditions
throughout the hemisphere.
The Pan American Institute for Geography and History (PAIGH)
encourages the coordination and standardization of information and
publicizing geographic, historical, cartographic, and geophysical
studies in the Americas. Member countries receive information and
technical assistance to locate and develop their natural resources.
It preserves and documents historical data through research and
publication. It also facilitates cooperative relationships between
US agencies and other countries in such vital areas as aviation
safety.
The Inter-American Indian Institute (IAII), headquartered in
Mexico City, initiates, coordinates, and directs research to promote
better understanding of the health, education, economic, and social
problems of Indian populations. It provides technical assistance for
programs of Indian community development, trains personnel in
agriculture and marketing, and provides scientific information on
present-day Indians of the Americas. It thus serves as an excellent
vehicle for cooperation among countries of the hemisphere with
substantial Indian populations.
The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is a unique
quasi-public international organization, which although it was
created by the OAS, receives more than half its financial support
largely from US corporations and other private sources. PADF has
channeled more than $100 million into development projects which
mobilize private sector support in recipient countries. It also
coordinates disaster relief. The PADF qualifies for charitable
donations under the US Internal Revenue Code Section 201(c)(3). It
receives a small grant from the OAS as well as funds from the US
Agency for International
Development.
OAS and US Officials
Secretary General: Joao Clemente Baena Soares (Brazil), elected to
second 5-year term in 1988.
Assistant Secretary General: Christopher R. Thomas (Trinidad and
Tobago), elected to 5-year term in 1990.
Address: Organization of American States, 17th St. and Constitution
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20006. Tel. 202-458-3000.
US Permanent Representative to the OAS: Ambassador Luigi R.
Einaudi, sworn in November 9, 1989.
Address: US Permanent Mission to the OAS, ARA/USOAS, Room 6494,
US Department of State, Washington, DC 20520. Tel. 202-647-
9376.(###)