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OAS History at a Glance On April 30, 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere met in Bogotá, Colombia, to adopt the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which affirmed their commitment to common goals and respect for each nation’s sovereignty. Since then, the OAS has expanded to include the nations of the English-speaking Caribbean, as well as Canada. The principles that embody the OAS grew out of a history of regional cooperation dating back to the 19th century.
The transition from the Pan American Union to the OAS was smooth. The Director General of the former, Alberto Lleras Camargo, became the first Secretary General of the OAS. Key Dates 1959 —Creation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. 1961—Signing of the Charter of Punta del Este, which launched the Alliance for Progress. 1969—Signing of the American Convention on Human Rights. This took effect in 1978, establishing the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, headquartered in Costa Rica. 1970—Establishment of the General Assembly as the highest decision-making body of the OAS. 1986—Creation of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD). 1990–Establishment of what is now the OAS Office for the Promotion of Democracy. 1991—Adoption of Resolution 1080, which set up procedures to react to threats to democracy in the hemisphere. 1994—First Summit of the Americas, which reaffirmed the OAS role strengthening democracy and established new priorities for the Organization. 1996—Establishment of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development. 1997—Ratification of the Protocol of Washington, which gives the OAS the right to suspend a member state whose democratically elected government is overthrown by force. 1998—Second Summit of the Americas and creation of what is now called the OAS Summits of the Americas Secretariat. 2001—Third Summit of the Americas. The hemisphere’s leaders instructed the OAS General Assembly to prepare an Inter-American Democratic Charter, which was adopted on September 11 in Lima, Peru. 2002—Inter-American Convention against Terrorism opened for signature at OAS General Assembly in Barbados. (It entered into effect in 2003.) 2004—Special Summit of the Americas, with focus on growth with equity, social development and governance. 2005—Installation of José Miguel Insulza as OAS Secretary General and Albert R. Ramdin as Assistant Secretary General.
OAS Secretaries General Alberto Lleras Camargo (Colombia) 1948-1954 Carlos Dávila (Chile) 1954-1955 José A. Mora (Uruguay) 1956-1968 Galo Plaza (Ecuador) 1968-1975 Alejandro Orfila (Argentina) 1975-1984 João Clemente Baena Soares (Brazil) 1984-1994 César Gaviria (Colombia) 1994-2004 Miguel Angel Rodríguez (Costa Rica) September-October 2004 Luigi R. Einaudi (United States), Acting Secretary General, October 2004-May 2005 José Miguel Insulza (Chile), took office May 26, 2005
OAS Assistant Secretaries General William Manger (United States) 1948-1958 William Sanders (United States) 1958-1968 M. Rafael Urquía (El Salvador) 1968-1975 Jorge Luis Zelaya Coronado (Guatemala) 1975-1980 Val T. McComie (Barbados) 1980-1990 Christopher R. Thomas (Trinidad and Tobago) 1990-2000 Luigi Einaudi (United States) 2000-2005 Albert R. Ramdin (Suriname) took office on July 19, 2005.OAS Member States
All 35 independent countries of
the Americas have ratified the OAS Charter and belong to the
Organization. Cuba remains a member, but its government has been
excluded from participation in the OAS since 1962. 21 Original OAS Members
The following nations met in
Bogotá, Colombia, in 1948 to sign the OAS Charter:
Argentina,
Bolivia,
Brazil,
Chile,
Colombia,
Costa Rica, Cuba,
Dominican
Republic,
Ecuador,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Haiti,
Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua,
Panama,
Paraguay,
Peru,
United States,
Uruguay,
Venezuela. Subsequent Members Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago (1967); Jamaica (1969); Grenada (1975); Suriname (1977); Dominica, Saint Lucia (1979); Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981); The Bahamas (1982); St. Kitts and Nevis (1984); Canada (1990); Belize, Guyana (1991).
Last updated: July 2005 |