The Organization of American States (OAS): Intergovernmental Agency for Hemispheric International Cooperation

The Organization of American States (OAS) is the oldest regional organization in the world. It was created in 1948 with the objective of achieving an order of peace and justice among its member states, fostering their solidarity and defending their sovereignty. The OAS serves as the region's principal political forum. It is headquartered in Washington DC and bases its operations on four fundamental pillars: 1) Democracy: Promotion and consolidation of representative democracy. 2) Human Rights: Protected through the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. 3) Security: Focused on multidimensional threats (drug trafficking, terrorism). 4) Integral Development: Supporting economic growth and combating poverty. The OAS currently recognizes 32 member states, these are: Canada, USA, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay. No longer members: Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

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