What is the Organization of American States (OAS)?

The Organization of American States, OAS is a continental organization established on 30 April 1948 to foster regional cooperation and solidarity among member countries. The OAS comprises the 35 independent states of the Americas with headquarters in Washington DC, capital of the United States.

What is the Purpose of the Organization of American States?

According to Article 1 of the OAS Charter, the aim of creating the organization was to achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence. In Article 2, the Charter outlines the following goals.

1. Make the continent peaceful and secure.
2. Promote and entrench democratic values while upholding the principle of non-intervention.
3. Maintain peaceful coexistence and disputes resolution among member states.
4. Take a common stand against aggression.
5. Resolve political, judicial, and economic problems among member states.
6. Cooperate on the development of their economies, society and culture.
7. Eradication of extreme poverty, a major impediment to the adoption of democracy in the hemisphere.
8. To restrict the stockpiling of conventional weapons so that member states can devote most of their resources to economic and social development.

Since the end of the Cold War and the return of democracy to Latin America states, the OAS has witnessed a reorganization to position itself as a firm believer in globalization. The organization now prioritizes:

• Strengthening Democratic Institutions: The OAS has sent multinational election observation missions to monitor the conduct of elections in the member states for over 40 years, starting from 1962.

It is also helping members strengthen their national and local governments, improving the performance of electoral bodies, and enhancing democratic value and practices. Also, the OAS provides fraud detection and prevention capabilities of member countries.

• Peaceful Coexistence: The OAS has deployed special missions to Nicaragua, Haiti, Suriname, and Guatemala to support the peace process in those countries. It has engaged in large-scale landmine clearing operations in member states and served as a mediator in border dispute reconciliation efforts such as the Peru/Ecuador and Belize/Guatemala border conflicts. The organization is establishing an inter-American counter-terrorism agency to combat terror on continental America.
• Defense of Human Rights: The OAS has agencies that uphold, advocate and fight for human rights across member states. It also resolves and condemns individual cases of human rights violations. Also, the agencies monitor and report each member states human rights records.
• Promotion of Free Trade: The OAS and two other agencies are working to develop a framework for an inter-continental free trade zone stretching from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
• Anti-Drug Trafficking Campaigns: In 1986, the OAS established the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission as a coordinated effort to combat cross border drug trade.
• Sustainable Development Goals: The OAS created the Inter-American Council for Integral Development to stimulate economic development and poverty alleviation. Member states cooperate on river basin management, biodiversity conservation, and planning for the effects of global climate change. The OAS countries also collaborate on the preservation of cultural diversity and the control of natural disaster.