Organization of American States

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The Organization of American States (OAS in English; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization based in Washington, D.C. It has all thirty-five independent nations of the Americas as its members.

For its work Organization of American States (OAS) uses four languages: English language, French language, Portuguese language, and Spanish language.

Many people and politicians of different countries of North America and South America had thought of an organization of their countries. These countries have also formed different organizations from time to time. Beginning from 1889 to 1890, these countries held meetings known as the International Conference of American States. At its first conference, 18 countries formed the International Union of American Republics.

In 1910, these countries held the Fourth International Conference of American States at Buenos Aires. They changed the name of the International Union of American Republics to the Union of American Republics. These countries held the ninth International Conference of American States between March and May 1948 at Bogotá. On 30th April 1948, 21 countries signed an agreement. They called this agreement the Charter of the Organization of American States. This was the beginning of the Organization of American States (OAS). OAS started functioning from December 1951.

The Charter of the OAS states the goals for forming the OAS. There are many goals. Some important goals relate to peace and security for these countries; development of democratic governments; and economic cooperation.

Members[change]

All 35 independent nations of America are members of the OAS. Upon foundation on 5 May 1948 there were 21 members:

File:Mapoeaestados miembros.png

founding member

subsequent member

non-member

The later expansion of the OAS included the newly independent nations of the Caribbean (most of whom gained independence only after World War II) and Canada. Members with later admission dates (sorted chronologically):

File:Flag of Barbados.svg Barbados (member since 1967)
File:Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg Trinidad and Tobago (1967)
File:Flag of Jamaica.svg Jamaica (1969)
File:Flag of Grenada.svg Grenada (1975)
File:Flag of Suriname.svg Suriname (1977)
File:Flag of Dominica.svg Dominica (1979)
File:Flag of Saint Lucia.svg Saint Lucia (1979)
File:Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg Antigua and Barbuda (1981)
File:Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981)
File:Flag of the Bahamas.svg Bahamas (1982)
File:Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg Saint Kitts and Nevis (1984)
File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada (1990)
File:Flag of Belize.svg Belize (1991)
File:Flag of Guyana.svg Guyana (1991)

Related pages[change]

Notes[change]

↑ Suspended between 1962–2009. Has chosen not to reapply for participation.
↑ Suspended in 2009. Reinstated in 2011

Other websites[change]

Official site

File:Location North America.svg This short article about North America can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.

[1] Suspended between 1962–2009. Has chosen not to reapply for participation.

[2] Suspended in 2009. Reinstated in 2011

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v t e International human rights organisations and institutions
Types	Human rights group Human rights commission Human rights institutions Truth and reconciliation commission
International institutions	Committee on the Rights of the Child Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities International Criminal Court Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights UN Human Rights Committee UN Human Rights Council UN Security Council
Regional bodies	African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights African Court of Justice European Court of Human Rights European Committee for the Prevention of Torture Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Multi-lateral bodies	European Union Council of Europe Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Organisation of American States (OAS) UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) International Labour Organization (ILO) World Health Organization (WHO) UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) UN Population Fund (UNFPA) UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) UN Development Programme (UNDP) Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Major NGOs	Amnesty International FIDH Human Rights Watch Emergency NGO Human Rights First
ICRC – organization with special status based on Geneva Conventions	International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)