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FACT SHEET: Basic Information on the 54th OAS General Assembly in Asunción, Paraguay

The 54th General Assembly of the OAS will be held from June 26 to 28, 2024 at the CONMEBOL Convention Center, in Asunción, Paraguay.

This will be the third time that the OAS General Assembly has been held in Paraguay. The first time was in 1990 and the second time in 2014

The General Assembly is the main body of the OAS and is made up of the delegations of all member states, generally headed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

Each member state has the right to cast one vote. Decisions of the Assembly are usually adopted by majority, but in certain cases the rules require a two-thirds vote. The tradition of the OAS is to adopt resolutions by consensus.

The Assembly is in charge of defining the policies and mandates of the OAS, as well as the structure and functions of its bodies.

It is responsible for the election of members of the decentralized and autonomous organizations of the OAS such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court), the Inter-American Juridical Committee, the Justice Center of the Americas, and the Administrative Tribunal, among others.

The 54th Assembly will be the tenth of the mandate of Secretary General Luis Almagro.

The OAS General Assembly has met annually since 1971. Previously, meetings of this nature had varied intervals and were called International American Conferences.

Since 1971, 22 countries have hosted the regular General Assembly.

In the last General Assembly away from headquarters, in Lima, Peru in 2022, more than 1,600 participants were accredited, including more than 400 diplomats, 24 foreign ministers, and 8 vice ministers. More than 600 representatives of civil society and 32 international organizations also participated.

The General Assembly schedule has 4 sessions divided between Thursday, June 27 and Friday, June 28.

During the Assembly, member states will elect:

Three members of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (I/A Court H.R.)
Three members of the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI)
Two members of the Justice Studies Center of the Americas (CEJA)
A member of the Administrative Tribunal (TRIBAD)
A member of the Audit Committee

The draft General Assembly calendar can be viewed here. The calendar is subject to change until approved by the General Assembly itself. The calendar also includes activities prior to the start of the General Assembly and parallel activities.

All information on the General Assembly is available on the following platforms: Web Page, x.com en @OAS_official , following the hashtag # OAS Assembly, OAS Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin .

Reference: S-011/24