AG/RES. 1530 (XXVII-O/97)
OFFICES OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT IN THE MEMBER STATES
(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
HAVING SEEN:
The joint report of the Permanent Council and the Permanent Executive Committee of the
Inter- American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) on the Offices of the General
Secretariat in the Member States (CP/doc.2938/97); and
Resolutions AG/RES. 1231 (XXIII-O/93), AG/RES. 1276 (XXIV-O/94), and AG/RES. 1340
(XXV-O/95), which extended the mandate to study the issues relating to the Offices of the
General Secretariat in the Member States;
CONSIDERING that resolution AG/RES. 1174 (XXII-O/92) urged the General Secretariat to
continue providing support, through its offices in the member states, for the execution of
technical cooperation projects and fellowship programs, as well as the dissemination of
news and information on the activities of the Organization;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:
That resolution AG/RES. 1174 (XXII-O/92) also instructed the General Secretariat to
present annual reports to the Permanent Council on the operation of its offices in the
member states, indicating their budgets and the execution thereof;
That resolution AG/RES. 1388 (XXVI-O/96) requested the Permanent Council to finalize
its consideration of the General Secretariat study and requested CEPCIDI to examine that
study, particularly those proposals which fall within its mandate;
That the General Secretariat presented to the Permanent Council at its meeting of
December 12, 1996, a document entitled "Follow-Up Proposal for Restructuring the
Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States" (CP/doc.2818/96), which was
forwarded for study by joint meetings of CEPCIDI and the Committee on Administrative and
Budgetary Affairs of the Permanent Council; and
That the member states have agreed by consensus that the offices should remain in those
states that so desire, but that they should focus on the Organization's cooperation
activities in the member states; and
TAKING NOTE of the support provided by the General Secretariat in the coordination of
the offices in the member states,
RESOLVES:
- To take note of the joint report of the Permanent Council and the Permanent Executive
Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) on the Offices
of the General Secretariat in the Member States.
- To reaffirm:
- That the basic function of the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States
should be to support the technical cooperation activities of the OAS; and
- That the offices should also provide:
- Administrative support for fellowships;
- Public information about the Organization;
- An institutional presence for the Organization;
- Support for the activities of the General Secretariat's units, departments, and other
offices in the implementation of the functions and mandates assigned to them.
- To request the General Secretariat to consult, prior to September 30, 1997, with the
member states on the possibility of closing or maintaining the Offices of the General
Secretariat in the Member States.
- To instruct the General Secretariat to examine, prior to September 30, 1997, with those
member states that expressed a desire to keep their national offices, the possibility of
their paying the rent for those officescurrently paid by the OASor their
providing alternative premises, or making other contributions to help maintain the
offices.
- To request the General Secretariat to consult, when necessary, with other inter-
American organizations on the possibility of sharing space and other services with a view
to reducing current expenditures in the offices of the General Secretariat in those member
states that are not in a position to incur these expenses.
- To request the General Secretariat to maintain its commitment regarding the
interconnection of the offices and the computerization of their administrative and
day-to-day operations, with a view to increasing their efficiency and reducing staffing
requirements.
- To request the General Secretariat to simplify the activity, monitoring, and reporting
of the Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States, with appropriate
supervision by the Office of the Inspector General of the Organization, who should see to
it that basic standards of transparency and sound administration are met.
- To instruct the General Secretariat to:
- Reclassify the post of the official in charge of the office in each duty station on the
basis of the responsibilities and functions assigned to each post and in view of
applicable regulations. This classification shall take into account the guidelines set
forth in this resolution and shall be uniformly applied in all the offices.
- Recommend the number of employees needed in each office for efficient performance of the
tasks assigned, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget; and
- Prepare a study on alternative means of obtaining administrative support services on the
basis of local conditions in each state.
- To instruct the General Secretariat to report to the Permanent Council and CEPCIDI by
September 30, 1997, on the fulfillment of the mandates set out in this resolution. This
report should include a firm proposal for the restructuring of the Offices of the General
Secretariat in the Member States, which should be implemented, unless the Permanent
Council and CEPCIDI decide otherwise, by October 30, 1997, within allocated resources
approved in the 1998 program-budget.
(1) 1. Cooperation agreement between the General Secretariat of the Organization of
American States and the Secretariat of the United Nations, signed in New York on April 17,
1995.
Documents of the OAS