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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|International organization of states in the Americas}}
{{Infobox Geopolitical organization
| conventional_long_name = Organization of American States
|
▲ |{{small|{{native name|fr|Organisation des États américains}}}}
▲ |{{small|{{native name|pt|Organização dos Estados Americanos}}}}
▲ |{{small|{{native name|es|Organización de los Estados Americanos}}}}
}}
| name =
| linking_name = the Organization of American States
| motto = <br />{{nowrap|"Democracy for peace, security and development"}}
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| membership = {{collapsible list
|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
|title = [[Member states of the Organization of American States|
}}
| admin_center_type = Headquarters
| admin_center = 17th Street and [[Constitution Avenue
| largest_city =
| coordinates = {{coord|38.8929138|-77.0403734|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-DC|name=OAS headquarters, Washington, D.C.|display=inline,title}}
| languages_type = [[Official languages]]
| languages = [[American English|English]]<br />[[American French|French]] <br />[[
| leader_title1 = [[Secretary General of the Organization of American States|Secretary General]]
| leader_name1 = [[Luis Almagro]]
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| population_density_sq_mi = 30
| utc_offset = −10 to +0
| official_website = {{
| area_rank =
| GDP_PPP =
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{{Supranational American Bodies|size=400px|align=right}}
The '''Organization of American States''' ('''OAS''' or '''OEA'''; {{lang-es|Organización de los Estados Americanos}}; {{lang-pt|Organização dos Estados Americanos}}; {{lang-fr|Organisation des États américains}}
Headquartered in [[Washington, D.C.]], United States, the OAS is a "multilateral regional body focused on human rights, electoral oversight, social and economic development, and security in the Western Hemisphere", according to the
[[Luis Almagro]] of [[Uruguay]] was inaugurated as OAS secretary general in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last=OAS |date=1 August 2009 |title=OAS - Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development |url=https://www.oas.org/en/about/secretary_general.asp |access-date=17 June 2023 |website=www.oas.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Miami Herald">{{cite web |last = Wyss |first = Jim |title = As a Uruguayan is poised to head the OAS, questions swirl about Venezuela |url = http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article15196958.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>
== History ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=April 2018}}<!--very few citations-->
===19th century===
[[File:Pan American between 1910 and 1920 (cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Pan American Union Building]] shortly after its construction in Washington, D. C., 1910]]▼
[[File:"International Union of American Republics" logo in 1909 - from publication Cacao (1909) (IA cacao00inte) (page 1 crop).jpg|thumb|
▲[[File:Pan American between 1910 and 1920 (cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Pan American Union Building]] in 1910, shortly after its construction in [[Washington, D. C.
The notion of an international union in the
▲The notion of an international union in the [[New World]] was first put forward during the liberation of the Americas by [[José de San Martín]] and [[Simón Bolívar]]<ref>{{cite web |title = Panama: A Country Study |location = Washington |publisher = GPO for the Library of Congress |year = 1987 |url = http://countrystudies.us/panama/4.htm }}</ref> who, at the 1826 [[Congress of Panama]] (still being part of Colombia), proposed creating a league of American republics, with a common military, a mutual defense pact, and a supranational parliamentary assembly. This meeting was attended by representatives of [[Gran Colombia]] (comprising the modern-day countries of [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Panama]] and [[Venezuela]]), [[Argentina]], [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]], The [[United Provinces of Central America]], and [[Mexico]] but the grandly titled "Treaty of Union, League, and Perpetual Confederation" was ultimately ratified only by Gran Colombia. Bolívar's dream soon floundered with civil war in Gran Colombia, the disintegration of Central America, and the emergence of [[Nationalism|national]] rather than New World outlooks in the newly independent American republics. Bolívar's dream of inter-American unity was meant to unify Hispanic American nations against external powers.
▲[[File:"International Union of American Republics" logo in 1909 - from publication Cacao (1909) (IA cacao00inte) (page 1 crop).jpg|thumb|Logo in 1909 publication<ref>{{Citation|last1=catalog|first1=International bureau of the American republics, Washington, D. C. [from old |title=Cacao |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cacao_(IA_cacao00inte).pdf |access-date=13 October 2021 |last2=Book|first2=Start this}}</ref>]]
The pursuit of regional solidarity and cooperation again came to the forefront in 1889–1890, at the First [[International Conference of American States]]. Gathered together in Washington, D.C., 18 nations resolved to found the International Union of American Republics, served by a permanent secretariat called the Commercial Bureau of the American Republics (renamed the International Commercial Bureau at the Second International Conference in 1901–1902). These two bodies, in existence as of 14 April 1890, represent the point of inception to which the OAS and its [[Secretary (title)|General Secretariat]] trace their origins.
===20th century===
[[File:Pan American Union, Washington, DC in 1943.jpg|thumb|[[Pan American Union Building|Pan American Union headquarters building]] in [[Washington, D.C.
At the fourth [[International Conference of American States]] ([[Buenos Aires]], 1910), the name of the organization was changed to the Union of American Republics and the Bureau became the Pan American Union. The [[Pan American Union Building]] was constructed in 1910, on [[Constitution Avenue]], [[Northwest, Washington, D.C.]]
▲[[File:Pan American Union, Washington, DC in 1943.jpg|thumb|[[Pan American Union Building|Pan American Union headquarters building]] in Washington, D.C., 1943.]]
In the mid-1930s, U.S. President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] organized an inter-American conference in Buenos Aires. One of the items at the conference was a "[[League of Nations]] of the Americas", an idea proposed by Colombia, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.<ref>Special to the New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/1936/04/13/archives/league-of-nations-in-americas-urged-by-3-latin-states-this-is-one.html?sq=League+of+nations+in+Americas&scp=1&st=p "League of Nations in Americas urged by 3 Latin states"], ''The New York Times''. 13 April 1936. p. 1.</ref> At the subsequent Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, 21 nations pledged to remain neutral in the event of a conflict between any two members.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/20/archives/americas-adopt-neutrality-pact-21-nations-pledge-a-joint-attitude.html "Americas adopt neutrality pact"], ''The New York Times''. 20 December 1936.</ref> The experience of [[World War II]] convinced hemispheric governments that unilateral action could not ensure the territorial integrity of the American nations in the event of external aggression. To meet the challenges of global conflict in the postwar world and to contain conflicts within the hemisphere, they adopted a system of [[collective security]], the [[Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance]] (Rio Treaty) signed in 1947 in [[Rio de Janeiro]].
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The ninth [[International Conference of American States]] was held in [[Bogotá]] between March and May 1948 and led by [[United States Secretary of State]] [[George Marshall]], a meeting which led to a pledge by members to fight communism in the [[western hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/Organization-of-American-States |title=Organization of American States |website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> This was the event that saw the birth of the OAS as it stands today, with the signature by 21 American countries of the [[Charter of the Organization of American States]] on 30 April 1948 (in effect since December 1951). The meeting also adopted the [[American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man]], the world's first general human rights instrument.
The transition from the Pan American Union to OAS would have been smooth if it had not been for the assassination of Colombian leader [[Jorge Eliécer Gaitán]]. The Director General of the
The OAS conducted an audit of the [[2019 Bolivian general election]], which opposition supporters argued was fraudulent. The OAS report contended that the results were marred by "clear manipulation" and significant irregularities leading to the [[2019 Bolivian political crisis]]. Bolivian president [[Evo Morales]] resigned soon after, having lost the confidence of the country's military in what he described as a coup.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Faiola|first1=Anthony|last2=Krygier|first2=Rachelle|title=Bolivia's Morales resigns amid scathing election report, rising protests|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bolivia-to-hold-new-elections-after-protests-and-international-criticism/2019/11/10/4778e842-03b2-11ea-ac12-3325d49eacaa_story.html|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Some media outlets debated whether it should be referred to as a coup.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 November 2019|title=AP Explains: Did a coup force Bolivia's Evo Morales out?|url=https://apnews.com/6b2c94306089451d9761878c9f7ce2f1|access-date=4 December 2019|website=[[Associated Press]]|quote=Whether the events Sunday in Bolivia constitute a coup d'état is now the subject of debate in and outside the nation. ... Bolivia's "coup" is largely a question of semantics}}</ref> On 21 December, the Technical Mission of Electoral Experts sent by the European Union published a 67-page report made similar observations and conclusions to that of the OAS. They noted that "there were minutes with an unusually high number of null votes, blank votes and a hundred percent participation of voters in a series of polling stations" and highlighted the general failure of the TSE to declare these irregularities.<ref name="eu1">{{cite web|title=Unión Europea Misiónde Expertos Electorales Bolivia 2019 Informe Final|url=https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706084129/https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-date=6 July 2020|access-date=15 October 2020|publisher=European Union in Bolivia|language=es}}</ref><ref name="eu2">{{cite news|date=21 December 2019|title=Informe de la UE detectó "numerosos errores" en elecciones de Bolivia {{!}} Voice of America - Spanish|language=es|work=www.voanoticias.com|publisher=Voice of America Spanish|url=https://www.voanoticias.com/a/union-europea-detecto-errores-irregularidades-elecciones-bolivia/5215093.html|access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> Studies commissioned by the American [[left-leaning]]<ref name="The Perils Of Petrocracy">{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Tina|date=4 November 2007|title=The Perils Of Petrocracy|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/magazine/04oil-t.html?pagewanted=7|access-date=5 October 2014|quote=… Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-wing Washington policy group.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sussman|first1=Anna Louie|date=7 September 2015|title=Are Women the New Face of Organized Labor?|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/09/07/are-women-the-new-face-of-organized-labor/|access-date=20 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews.com">{{cite news|last1=Fox|first1=Maggie|date=24 July 2013|title=Obamacare won't slash workers' hours, report finds|agency=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/obamacare-wont-slash-workers-hours-report-finds-f6C10732487|access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref> think tank [[Center for Economic and Policy Research|CEPR]] argued that the OAS report's statistical analysis was inaccurate and unreliable.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 October 2020|title=Data from Bolivia's Election Add More Evidence That OAS Fabricated Last Year's Fraud Claims|url=https://www.cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |first1=Jake |last1=Johnston |website=Center for Economic and Policy Research |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025083030/https://cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |archive-date=Oct 25, 2023 }}</ref> The author of the OAS's vote return analysis stated that the CEPR's explanation of the results was implausible.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nooruddin|first=Irfan|title=Analysis {{!}} Yes, Bolivia's 2019 election was problematic. Here's why. |date=March 10, 2020 |language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/10/yes-bolivias-2019-election-was-problematic-heres-why/|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The organization has been criticized by Mexico<ref>{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=David Alire|author-link1=|last2=|first2=|author-link2=|last3=|first3=|author-link3=|date=17 March 2021|title=Mexico to OAS: Stop interfering in Bolivia's internal affairs|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|work=Associated Press|department=|publication-date=17 March 2021|editor1-last=Esposito|editor1-first=Anthony|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-oas-stop-interfering-internal-affairs-bolivia-2021-03-17/|url-status=|url-access=|access-date=14 February 2022|archive-date=|quote=}}</ref> and the CEPR<ref>{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Jack R.|last2=Curiel|first2=John|date=|year=|orig-date=|editor-first=|title=Analysis of the 2019 Bolivia Election|url=https://jackrw.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/Bolivia_report-short.pdf|url-access=|url-status=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=14 February 2022|publisher=[[Center for Economic and Policy Research]] (CEPR)|quote=}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=February 2022}} for their perception of interference into the internal affairs of Bolivia.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hetland|first1=Gabriel|author-link1=|last2=|first2=|author-link2=|date=7 March 2020|title=Opinion: The OAS helped undermine, not restore, democracy in Bolivia|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|department=|publication-date=7 March 2020|editor1-last=|editor1-first=|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/07/oas-helped-undermine-not-restore-democracy-bolivia/|url-status=|url-access=|access-date=14 February 2022|archive-url=|archive-date=|quote=|editor3-link=|editor3-first=|editor3-last=|editor2-link=|editor2-first=|editor1-link=|editor2-last=}}</ref> The OAS observed the subsequent [[2020 Bolivian general election]] stating there was no evidence of fraud.<ref name="nofraude">{{cite web|last=Tancara Castillo|first=Cándido|date=23 October 2020|title=ONU, OEA y Uniore descartan fraude en elecciones generales|url=https://www.paginasiete.bo/nacional/2020/10/23/onu-oea-uniore-descartan-fraude-en-elecciones-generales-272528.html|website=Pagina Siete|language=es|access-date=8 June 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414225506/https://www.paginasiete.bo/nacional/2020/10/23/onu-oea-uniore-descartan-fraude-en-elecciones-generales-272528.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' concluded that there was some fraud, but that it was unclear how much or if it was sufficient to change the result of the election, and suggested the initial analysis by the OAS was flawed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kurmanaev|first=Anatoly|date=7 June 2020|title=A Bitter Election. Accusations of Fraud. And Now Second Thoughts.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/07/world/americas/bolivia-election-evo-morales.html/|work=The New York Times}}</ref>▼
===21st century===
[[File:Seal of the Organization of American States SVG.svg|thumb|alt=Emblem with the official name in English.|
▲The OAS conducted an audit of the [[2019 Bolivian general election]], which opposition supporters argued was fraudulent. The OAS report contended that the results were marred by "clear manipulation" and significant irregularities leading to the [[2019 Bolivian political crisis]]. Bolivian president [[Evo Morales]] resigned soon after, having lost the confidence of the country's military in what he described as a coup.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Faiola|first1=Anthony|last2=Krygier|first2=Rachelle|title=Bolivia's Morales resigns amid scathing election report, rising protests|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bolivia-to-hold-new-elections-after-protests-and-international-criticism/2019/11/10/4778e842-03b2-11ea-ac12-3325d49eacaa_story.html|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Some media outlets debated whether it should be referred to as a coup.<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 November 2019|title=AP Explains: Did a coup force Bolivia's Evo Morales out?|url=https://apnews.com/6b2c94306089451d9761878c9f7ce2f1|access-date=4 December 2019|website=[[Associated Press]]|quote=Whether the events Sunday in Bolivia constitute a coup d'état is now the subject of debate in and outside the nation. ... Bolivia's "coup" is largely a question of semantics}}</ref> On 21 December, the Technical Mission of Electoral Experts sent by the European Union published a 67-page report made similar observations and conclusions to that of the OAS. They noted that "there were minutes with an unusually high number of null votes, blank votes and a hundred percent participation of voters in a series of polling stations" and highlighted the general failure of the TSE to declare these irregularities.<ref name="eu1">{{cite web|title=Unión Europea Misiónde Expertos Electorales Bolivia 2019 Informe Final|url=https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706084129/https://www.uetrabajandojuntos.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/EU-EEM-BOL-2019-FR-ES.pdf|archive-date=6 July 2020|access-date=15 October 2020|publisher=European Union in Bolivia|language=es}}</ref><ref name="eu2">{{cite news|date=21 December 2019|title=Informe de la UE detectó "numerosos errores" en elecciones de Bolivia {{!}} Voice of America - Spanish|language=es|work=www.voanoticias.com|publisher=Voice of America Spanish|url=https://www.voanoticias.com/a/union-europea-detecto-errores-irregularidades-elecciones-bolivia/5215093.html|access-date=15 October 2020}}</ref> Studies commissioned by the American [[left-leaning]]<ref name="The Perils Of Petrocracy">{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Tina|date=4 November 2007|title=The Perils Of Petrocracy|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/magazine/04oil-t.html?pagewanted=7|access-date=5 October 2014|quote=… Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a left-wing Washington policy group.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Sussman|first1=Anna Louie|date=7 September 2015|title=Are Women the New Face of Organized Labor?|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/09/07/are-women-the-new-face-of-organized-labor/|access-date=20 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews.com">{{cite news|last1=Fox|first1=Maggie|date=24 July 2013|title=Obamacare won't slash workers' hours, report finds|agency=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/obamacare-wont-slash-workers-hours-report-finds-f6C10732487|access-date=31 October 2014}}</ref> think tank [[Center for Economic and Policy Research|CEPR]] argued that the OAS report's statistical analysis was inaccurate and unreliable.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 October 2020|title=Data from Bolivia's Election Add More Evidence That OAS Fabricated Last Year's Fraud Claims|url=https://www.cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |first1=Jake |last1=Johnston |website=Center for Economic and Policy Research |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025083030/https://cepr.net/data-from-bolivias-election-add-more-evidence-that-oas-fabricated-last-years-fraud-claims/ |archive-date=Oct 25, 2023 }}</ref> The author of the OAS's vote return analysis stated that the CEPR's explanation of the results was implausible.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nooruddin|first=Irfan|title=Analysis {{!}} Yes, Bolivia's 2019 election was problematic. Here's why. |date=March 10, 2020 |language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/10/yes-bolivias-2019-election-was-problematic-heres-why/|access-date=18 March 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The organization has been criticized by Mexico<ref>{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=David Alire|author-link1=|last2=|first2=|author-link2=|last3=|first3=|author-link3=|date=17 March 2021|title=Mexico to OAS: Stop interfering in Bolivia's internal affairs|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]]|work=Associated Press|department=|publication-date=17 March 2021|editor1-last=Esposito|editor1-first=Anthony|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexico-oas-stop-interfering-internal-affairs-bolivia-2021-03-17/
In November 2021, OAS condemned the outcome of the [[2021 Nicaraguan general election|Nicaraguan general election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/oas-members-condemn-nicaragua-elections-urge-action-2021-11-13/ |title=OAS members condemn Nicaragua elections, urge action |publisher=Reuters |date=13 November 2021 }}</ref> In April 2022, Nicaragua reported the completion of its withdrawal process from the OAS initiated in November 2021. The OAS stated that, due to the terms of treaty, the withdrawal would not take effect until 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20220425-nicaragua-says-it-has-withdrawn-from-pan-american-region-bloc-sparking-protest|website=[[france24.com]]|date=25 April 2022|title=Nicaragua announces withdrawal from Organization of American States despite bloc's objections}}</ref> The move was completed on 19 November that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.laprensalatina.com/the-history-behind-nicaraguas-exit-from-the-oas/ |title=The history behind Nicaragua’s exit from the OAS |publisher=La Prensa Latina |date=18 November 2023 |access-date=19 November 2023 |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119143325/https://www.laprensalatina.com/the-history-behind-nicaraguas-exit-from-the-oas/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Milestones ===
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*2009: OAS revokes 1962 suspension of [[Cuba]].
*2009: OAS suspends Honduras due to the [[2009 Honduran coup d'état|coup]] which ousted president [[Manuel Zelaya]].
*2011: OAS lifts the suspension of Honduras with the return of Manuel Zelaya from exile.
*2017: [[Venezuela]] announces it would begin the process to leave the OAS, accusing the organization of interference in [[Crisis in Bolivarian Venezuela|Venezuela's political crisis]].
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== Organizational structure ==
[[File:Secretary Pompeo Delivers Remarks at the Organization of American States Headquarters (46863388441).jpg|thumb|
The Organization of American States is composed of a General Secretariat, the [[Permanent Council of the Organization of American States|Permanent Council]], the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, and a number of committees.
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== General Assembly ==
{{main|General Assembly of the Organization of American States}}
[[File:Organization of American States General Assembly.jpg|thumb
The [[General Assembly of the Organization of American States|General Assembly]] is the supreme decision-making body of OAS. It convenes once every year in a regular session. In special circumstances, and with the approval of two-thirds of the member states, the [[Permanent Council of the Organization of American States|Permanent Council]] can convene special sessions.
The Organization's member states take turns hosting the General Assembly on a rotating basis. The states are represented at its sessions by their chosen delegates: generally, their ministers of foreign affairs, or their appointed deputies. Each state has one vote, and most
The General Assembly's powers include setting the OAS's general course and policies by means of resolutions and declarations; approving its budget and determining the contributions payable by the member states; approving the reports and previous year's actions of the OAS's specialized agencies; and electing members to serve on those agencies.
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*[[Honduras]]{{refn|Suspended between 2009–2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/01/honduras.oas/ |title=OAS readmits Honduras to its ranks |date=1 June 2011 |access-date=1 November 2012 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> See [[#Suspension of Honduras (2009–2011)|Suspension of Honduras]] below.|group=Note}}
*[[Mexico]]
*[[Nicaragua]]{{refn|On 19 November 2021, Nicaragua announced its intention to withdraw from the OAS. Per the terms of the charter, the process became effective
*[[Panama]]
*[[Paraguay]]
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Although admission into OAS's predecessor, the Pan American Union, was initially restricted to republics, several overtures were still made for Canada to join the organization in 1928, 1933, 1936, and 1938. During the 1936 Pan American Union Conference, the organization extended its membership from only "American republics" to "American states" to accommodate Canada's admission as a constitutional monarchy.{{sfn|Pharand|1986|p=432}} However, U.S. opposition to Canadian membership prevented their admittance, with the U.S. fearing the admittance of Canada to the OAS would bring with it British influence that could impede its freedom of action within the organization. The U.S. reversed its position on Canadian membership in 1947.{{sfn|Pharand|1986|p=433}} However, by that time, Canadian foreign policy had adopted an [[Atlanticist]] position with a European focus;{{sfn|Pharand|1986|p=454}} resulting in the Canadian government seeing little value in pursuing OAS membership.{{sfn|Pharand|1986|p=433}}
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the Canadian government expressed some interest
In 2004 and 2005, Canada was the second largest contributor to the OAS, with an annual assessed contribution representing 12.36 percent of the OAS Regular Budget (US$9.2 million) and an additional C$9 million in voluntary contributions to specific projects.<ref>[http://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/geo/oas-oae-en.aspx Canada and the Organization of American States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123015807/http://geo.international.gc.ca/cip-pic/geo/oas-oae-en.aspx |date=23 January 2009 }}, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), 2005.</ref><ref>[http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1967/sep-oct/kos.html Canada and the Organization of American States] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123223353/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1967/sep-oct/kos.html |date=23 November 2007 }} by Dr. Ludwil J. Kos-Rabcewicz-Zubkowski, Air University Review, September–October 1967.</ref> Shortly after joining as a full member, Canada was instrumental in the creation of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy, which provides support for the strengthening and consolidation of democratic processes and institutions in OAS member states.<ref>[http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-magazine/issue08/8t2-en.asp Canada and the OAS: A Vigorous Partnership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050219034004/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/canada-magazine/issue08/8t2-en.asp |date=19 February 2005 }}, Canada World View, Issue 8, Summer 2000.</ref>{{primary source inline|date=November 2021}}
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This meant that the Cuban nation was still technically a member state, but that the current government was denied the right of representation and attendance at meetings and of participation in activities. The OAS's position was that although Cuba's participation was suspended, its obligations under the Charter, the [[American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man]], etc. still hold: for instance, the [[Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]] continues to publish reports on Cuba's human rights situation and to hear individual cases involving Cuban nationals. However, this stance was occasionally questioned by other individual member states.
The resolution to exclude Cuba was controversial when it was adopted, and the reintegration of Cuba into the Inter-American system has remained a frequent source of contention among the countries of the hemisphere ever since.<ref name=":0">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite web|title=Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42639.pdf}} }}</ref> Cuba's position was stated in an official note sent to the Organization "merely as a courtesy" by Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Raúl Roa]] on 4 November 1964: "Cuba was arbitrarily excluded ... The Organization of American States has no juridical, factual, or moral jurisdiction, nor competence, over a state which it has illegally deprived of its rights."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Situation of Human Rights in Cuba: Seventh Report |work=[[Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]] |publisher=Organization of American States |date=4 October 1983 |url=http://www.cidh.oas.org/countryrep/Cuba83eng/intro.htm}}</ref> The reincorporation of Cuba as an active member regularly arose as a topic within the inter-American system{{spaced ndash}} for instance, it was intimated by the outgoing ambassador of Mexico in 1998<ref>{{cite press release |title=Mexico Calls for Cuba's Reinstatement into the OAS |publisher=Organization of American States |date=4 February 1998 |url=http://www.oas.org/OASpage/press2002/en/Press98/020498ce.htm}} Organization of American States.</ref>{{spaced ndash}}but most observers did not see it as a serious possibility while the present government remained in power. Since 1960, the Cuban administration had repeatedly characterized the OAS as the "Ministry of Colonies" of the United States of America.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869814,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624025833/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,869814,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2009 |title=The Testing of the OAS |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=22 August 1960 |accessdate=24 November 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://lanic.utexas.edu/project/castro/db/1972/19720426.html |title=Castro admits problems in education |work=Siempre |publisher=Latin American Network Information Center, University of Texas at Austin |first=Marta |last=Solis |date=26 April 1972 |pages=40–41}}</ref> [[Fidel Castro]] and his brother [[Raúl Castro|Raúl]] attacked the OAS as a "Yankee bordello" and "instrument of imperialist domination" and vowed that Cuba would never join, although OAS rescinded the nation's expulsion in 2009 and invited it to apply for readmission.<ref>{{cite news|author=Lino Gutierrez|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/06/09/why-cuba-wont-join-the-oas-3/|title=Why Cuba won't join the OAS|work=Foreign Policy|date=9 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Cuba will never rejoin 'imperialist' OAS, says Castro|url=https://www.dw.com/en/cuba-will-never-rejoin-imperialist-oas-says-castro/a-19307316|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=5 June 2016}}</ref> [[President of Venezuela|Venezuelan President]] [[Hugo Chávez]] promised to veto any final declaration of the 2009 [[Summit of the Americas]] due to Cuba's exclusion.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8003507.stm |title=Chavez threatens veto over Cuba |work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=17 April 2009 |access-date=17 April 2009}}</ref>
On 17 April 2009, after a "trading of warm words" between the administrations of U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] and Cuban leader [[Raúl Castro]], OAS Secretary General [[José Miguel Insulza]] said he would ask the 2009 General Assembly to annul the 1962 resolution excluding Cuba.<ref>{{cite news |url=
On 3 June 2009, foreign ministers assembled in [[San Pedro Sula]], [[Honduras]], for the OAS's 39th [[General Assembly of the Organization of American States|General Assembly]], passed a vote to lift Cuba's suspension from the OAS. The United States had been pressuring the OAS for weeks to condition Cuba's readmission to the group on democratic principles and commitment to human rights. Ecuador's Foreign Minister [[Fander Falconí]] said there will be no such conditions. "This is a new proposal, it has no conditions—of any kind," Falconí said. "That suspension was made in the [[Cold War]], in the language of the Cold War. What we have done here is fix a historic error."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1079796.html |title=OAS votes to lift suspension of Cuba |work=[[The Miami Herald]] |date=3 June 2009 |access-date=3 June 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The suspension was lifted at the end of the General Assembly, but, to be readmitted to the Organization, Cuba will need to comply with all the treaties signed by the Member States, including the [[Inter-American Democratic Charter]] of 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oas.org/consejo/GENERAL%20ASSEMBLY/Documents/AG04688E08.doc|title=Proceedings Volume 1|access-date=28 December 2019}}</ref> A statement issued by the Cuban government on 8 June 2009 stated that while Cuba welcomed the Assembly's gesture, in light of the Organization's historical record "Cuba will not return to the OAS."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/junio/lun8/Declaration.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219170708/http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/junio/lun8/Declaration.html|archive-date=19 February 2012|title=Declaration of the Revolutionary Government |work=[[Granma (newspaper)|Granma]] |date=8 June 2009 |access-date=15 June 2009}}</ref>
=== Suspension of Honduras (2009–2011) ===
[[File:Suspensión de Honduras de la OEA.jpg|thumb|
Following [[2009 Honduran constitutional crisis|the expulsion of its President]] [[Manuel Zelaya]], Honduras' membership of the Organization was suspended unanimously at midnight on 5 July 2009.<ref name="Americas group suspends Honduras">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8134699.stm |title=Americas group suspends Honduras |date=5 July 2009 |access-date=5 July 2009 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> The ''[[de facto]]'' government had already announced it was leaving the OAS hours earlier; this was not, however, taken into account by the OAS, which did not recognize that government as legitimate.<ref name="Honduras leaders pull out of OAS">{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0704/honduras.html |title=Honduras leaders pull out of OAS |date=4 July 2009 |access-date=5 July 2009 |publisher=[[RTÉ]]}}</ref> An extraordinary meeting had been conducted by the OAS in Washington, D.C., with Zelaya in attendance.<ref name="Americas group suspends Honduras"/><ref name="OAS expels Honduras' membership over coup">{{cite news |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-07/05/content_8379729.htm |title=OAS expels Honduras' membership over coup |date=5 July 2009 |access-date=5 July 2009 |newspaper=[[China Daily]]}}</ref><ref name="Organisation of American States suspends Honduras over coup"/> The suspension of Honduras was approved unanimously with 33 votes (Honduras did not vote).<ref name="Americas group suspends Honduras"/><ref name="Organisation of American States suspends Honduras over coup"/> This was the first suspension carried out by the OAS since that of Cuba in 1962.<ref name="Americas group suspends Honduras"/><ref name="Organisation of American States suspends Honduras over coup">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6640179.ece |title=Organisation of American States suspends Honduras over coup |date=5 July 2009 |access-date=5 July 2009 |newspaper=[[The Times]] |location=London |first=Deirdre |last=Hipwell}}</ref>
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On 7 November 2021, Nicaragua held a [[2021 Nicaraguan general election|general election]] which saw President [[Daniel Ortega]] re-elected to a fourth term in office.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20211108-biden-says-nicaragua-s-presidential-election-was-neither-free-nor-fair|date=8 November 2021|title=Biden calls Nicaragua's election a 'pantomime' that's 'neither free nor fair'|access-date=20 November 2021|website=France 24|language=en}}</ref> In a vote by the OAS Permanent Council, 25 member states voted in favour of a resolution condemning the election. Seven countries, including Mexico, Honduras and Bolivia, abstained. The motion stated that the election was "not free, fair or transparent and lack[s] democratic legitimacy" and also instructed the Permanent Council to undertake an assessment of the situation and "take appropriate action".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/oas-members-condemn-nicaragua-elections-urge-action-2021-11-13/|title=OAS members condemn Nicaragua elections, urge action|date=13 November 2021|language=en|work=Reuters|access-date=20 November 2021}}</ref>
In response to this statement, Nicaraguan Foreign Minister {{ill|Denis Moncada|es
In April 2022, Nicaragua announced that it had completed its withdrawal from the OAS. It said the OAS offices in Managua had been closed. The OAS stated that, due to the terms of treaty, the withdrawal would not take effect until 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nicaragua withdraws from regional bloc OAS after election row |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nicaragua-withdraws-from-regional-bloc-oas-after-election-row/ar-AAWyVBI |access-date=25 April 2022 |work=MSN |date=25 April 2022}}</ref> Nicaragua eventually completed its withdrawal from the OAS on 19 November that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/accountability-for-daniel-ortega-and-rosario-murillo-following-oas-departure/ |title=Accountability for Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo Following OAS Departure |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=19 November 2023 }}</ref>
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== Official languages ==
[[File:Socha Izabely I Katolickej.JPG|thumb|Statue of [[Isabella I of Castile]], the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] Queen in front of the seat of the
The Organization's [[official languages]] are [[Spanish language in the Americas|Spanish]], [[
▲The Organization's [[official languages]] are [[Spanish language in the Americas|Spanish]], [[American Portuguese|Portuguese]], [[American French|French]], and [[American English|English]]. The Charter, the basic instrument governing OAS, makes no reference to the use of official languages. These references are to be found in the Rules of Procedure governing the various OAS bodies. Article 51 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly,<ref>General Assembly of the OAS, [http://www.oas.org/juridico/english/agres_1737_xxxo00.htm Amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly], 5 June 2000</ref> the supreme body of the OAS, which meets once a year, states that English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish are the four official languages. Article 28 stipulates that a Style Committee shall be set up with representatives of the four official languages to review the General Assembly resolutions and declarations. Article 53 states that proposals shall be presented in the four official languages. The Rules of Procedure and Statutes of other bodies, such as the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI), the [[Inter-American Commission of Women]] (CIM), the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the [[Inter-American Commission on Human Rights]] (IACHR) and the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI), technical bodies of the OAS, also mention the four official languages in which their meetings are to be conducted. Policy is therefore dictated through these instruments that require use of the four official languages at meetings.<ref>Marguerite Groves (Coordinator, Division of Language Services, OAS), [http://www.cslf.gouv.qc.ca/Seminaire/Conferences/MargueriteGroves.doc Information on the use of language at the OAS: multilingualism] {{webarchive |url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070203222344/http://www.cslf.gouv.qc.ca/Seminaire/Conferences/MargueriteGroves.doc |date=3 February 2007 }}, ''Inter-American Languages Management Seminar'', [[Conseil supérieur de la langue française (Quebec)|Conseil supérieur de la langue française]] ([[Quebec]]), [[Quebec City]], 20 to 22 August 2002</ref>
Although a number of other languages have official status in one or more member states of OAS ([[Surinamese Dutch|Dutch]] in Suriname; [[Haitian Creole language|Haitian Creole]] alongside French in Haiti; [[Quechua language|Quechua]] and [[Aymara language|Aymara]] in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia; [[Guaraní language|Guaraní]] in Paraguay), they are not official languages of the Organization.
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==Further reading==
* {{cite journal|last=Pharand|first=Donat|volume=17|issue=3|year=1986|doi=10.7202/1059251ar|issn=0035-3086|pages=429–454|title=Canada and the OAS: the Vacant Chair Revisited|journal=Revue générale de droit|s2cid=191749791 |doi-access=free}}
==External links==
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