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<GovernmentManual>
  <accessId>GOVMAN-2014-10-06-193</accessId>
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    <Category>International Organizations</Category>
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    <AgencyName>Organization of American States</AgencyName>
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          <WebAddress>http://www.oas.org</WebAddress>
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        <Address>Seventeenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20006</Address>
        <Phone>202-370-5000</Phone>
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        <Fax>202-458-3967</Fax>
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        <ShowFootNote>Yes</ShowFootNote>
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            <NameColumnValue>José M. Insulza</NameColumnValue>
            <TitleColumnValue>Secretary General</TitleColumnValue>
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            <NameColumnValue>Albert R. Ramdin</NameColumnValue>
            <TitleColumnValue>Assistant Secretary General</TitleColumnValue>
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              <Paragraph>The Organization of American States (OAS) brings together the countries of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance common interests. At the core of the OAS mission is a commitment to democracy. Building on this foundation, OAS works to promote good governance, strengthen human rights, foster peace and security, expand trade, and address the complex problems caused by poverty, drugs, and corruption. Through decisions made by its political bodies and programs carried out by its General Secretariat, OAS promotes greater inter-American cooperation and understanding.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>OAS member states have intensified their cooperation since the end of the cold war, taking on new and important challenges. In 1994, the region's 34 democratically elected presidents and prime ministers met in Miami for the First Summit of the Americas, where they established broad  political, economic, and social development goals. They have continued to meet periodically since then to examine common interests and priorities. Through the ongoing Summits of the Americas process, the region's leaders have entrusted the OAS with a growing number of responsibilities to help advance the countries' shared vision.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>With four official languages--English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French--the OAS reflects the rich diversity of peoples and cultures across the Americas. The OAS has 35 member states: the independent nations of North, Central, and South America, and of the Caribbean. Since 1962, Cuba has been barred from participation by resolution of the Eighth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Countries from all around the world are permanent observers, closely following the issues that are critical to the Americas and often providing key financial support for OAS programs.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>Member states set major policies and goals through the General Assembly, which gathers the hemisphere's foreign ministers once a year in regular session. The Permanent Council, made up of ambassadors appointed by member states, meets regularly at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, to guide ongoing policies and actions. The chairmanship of the Permanent Council rotates every 3 months, in alphabetical order of countries. Each member state has an equal voice, and most decisions are made through consensus.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>Also under the OAS umbrella are several specialized agencies that have considerable autonomy: the Pan American Health Organization in Washington, DC; the Inter-American Children's Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay; the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture in San Jose, Costa Rica; and the Pan American Institute of Geography and History and the Inter-American Indian Institute, both in Mexico City.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>In 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere signed the OAS Charter at the Ninth International Conference of American States. They were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (barred from participation), Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela.</Paragraph>
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              <Paragraph>Subsequently, 14 other countries joined the OAS by signing and ratifying the Charter. They were Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, Suriname, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Canada, Belize, and Guyana. This brings the number of member states to 35.</Paragraph>
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      <Footer>For further information, contact the Organization of American States, Seventeenth Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20006. Phone, 202-370-5000. Fax, 202-458-3967.</Footer>
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