THE ORGANIZATION OF

AMERICAN STATES
DEQUITO - FAUSTINO - TOLEDO
 CONTENT
01 INTRODUCTION

02 DEFINING OAS

03 HISTORY OF OAS

04 ROLES AND FUNCTIONS

05 WEAKNESS AND STRENGTHS

INTRODUCTION
The Organization of American States is the
premier regional forum for political
discussion, policy analysis and decision-
making in Western Hemisphere affairs.

The OAS brings together leaders from

nations across the Americas to address
hemispheric issues and opportunities.
 THE ORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAN STATES
The Organization of American States (OAS) is the world’s
oldest regional organization, dating back to the First
International Conference of American States.
.
is a multilateral regional body focused on human rights,
electoral oversight, social and economic development, and
security in the Western Hemisphere.

The OAS has 35 member states, including the United States,

Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and many others.

It is headquartered in Washington D.C., and has several

specialized agencies that work on issues such as drug control,
human rights, and sustainable development.
HISTORY When it was
created?

The United States Hoped the new Emerged a year after

and twenty other organization would member states signed the
governments in the serve as a bulwark Inter-American Treaty of
Western Hemisphere against the spread Reciprocal Assistance,
signed the OAS of communism. known as the Rio Treaty,
charter in 1948 to which established a
increase regional defensive military alliance
security and in the region.
commercial
cooperation.
 HISTORY How is the OAS
organized?

The OAS is headed by Secretary-General Luis Almagro,

Uruguay’s former foreign minister, who assumed office in 2015

3 Main Bodies

GENERAL PERMANENT GENERAL

ASSEMBLY COUNCIL SECRETARIAT

the principal decision- Implements policies made

which manages day-to-day
making organ, which meets by the other two bodies.
affairs
annually
 ROLES AND FUNCTIONS

01 02 03 04

PROMOTING MONITORING ECONOMIC COORDINATING

DEMOCRACY HUMAN RIGHTS DEVELOPMENT SECURITY AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT
OPERATIONS
 ROLES AND FUNCTIONS

05 06 07

ENSURE THE PROMOTE

PEACEFUL PROVIDE FOR ECONOMIC,
SETTLEMENT OF COMMON SOCIAL, AND
DISPUTES AMONG ACTION IN THE CULTURAL
MEMBERS EVENT OF DEVELOPMENT.
AGGRESSION
WEAKNESSES STRENGTHS
a forum for dialogue and
Lack of enforcement power- The
cooperation among its member
organization can only make
states.
recommendations and cannot
enforce them on member states. Its commitment to democracy and
human rights.
Unequal distribution of power
among member states
OAS is its ability to promote
OAS suffers from a lack of funding
economic development through
trade and investment.
Concerns about the transparency
and accountability of the OAS's
decision-making processes.
 REFERENCES

http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea78e/
ch14.htm
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/organization-
american-states
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Organization-
of-American-States
https://usoas.usmission.gov/our-
relationship/about-oas/