OAS History at a Glance

On April 30, 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere met in Bogota, Colombia, to adopt the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which affirmed their commitment to common goals and respect for each nation’s sovereignty. Since then, the OAS has expanded to include the nations of the Caribbean, as well as Canada.   

The principles that embody the OAS grew out of a history of regional cooperation dating back to the 19th century.

• In 1826, Simón Bolívar convened the Congress of Panama with the idea of creating an association of states in the hemisphere.

• In 1890, the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., established the International Union of American Republics and its secretariat, the Commercial Bureau of the American Republics—the forerunner of the OAS.

• In 1910, this organization became the Pan American Union.

• In 1948, at the Ninth International American Conference, participants signed the OAS Charter and the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the first international expression of human rights principles.

The transition from the Pan American Union to the OAS was smooth. The Director General of the former, Alberto Lleras Camargo, became the first Secretary General of the OAS. 

Key Dates

1959­­­­­—Creation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

1961—Signing of the Charter of Punta del Este, which launched the Alliance for Progress.

1969—Signing of the American Convention on Human Rights. This took effect in 1978, establishing the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, headquartered in Costa Rica.

1970—Establishment of the General Assembly as the highest decision-making body of the OAS.

1986—Creation of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD).

1990–Establishment of the OAS Unit for the Promotion of Democracy.

1991—Adoption of Resolution 1080, which set up procedures to react to threats to democracy in the hemisphere.

1994—First Summit of the Americas, which reaffirmed the OAS role strengthening democracy and established new priorities for the Organization.

1995—Creation of the OAS Trade Unit.

1996—Establishment of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development. 

1997—Ratification of the Protocol of Washington, which gives the OAS the right to suspend a member state whose democratically elected government is overthrown by force.

1998—Second Summit of the Americas and creation of the OAS Office of Summit Follow-Up.

1999—Creation of the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development.

2001—Third Summit of the Americas. The hemisphere’s leaders instructed the OAS General Assembly to prepare an Inter-American Democratic Charter.

OAS Secretaries General

Alberto Lleras Camargo (Colombia) 1948-1954

Carlos Dávila (Chile) 1954-1955

José A. Mora (Uruguay) 1956-1968

Galo Plaza (Ecuador) 1968-1975

Alejandro Orfila (Argentina) 1975-1984

João Clemente Baena Soares (Brazil) 1984-1994

César Gaviria (Colombia) 1994- (Re-elected to a second term in 1999)

OAS Assistant Secretaries General

William Manger (United States) 1948-1958

William Sanders (United States) 1958-1968

M. Rafael Urquía (El Salvador) 1968-1975

Jorge Luis Zelaya Coronado (Guatemala) 1975-1980

Val T. McComie (Barbados) 1980-1990

Christopher R. Thomas (Trinidad and Tobago) 1990-2000

Luigi Einaudi (United States) 2000-

OAS Member States

All 35 independent countries of the Americas have ratified the OAS Charter and belong to the Organization. Cuba remains a member, but its government has been excluded from participation in the OAS since 1962.

21 Original OAS Members

The following nations met in Bogota, Colombia, in 1948 to sign the OAS Charter: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela

Subsequent Members

Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago (1967); Jamaica (1969); Grenada (1975); Suriname (1977); Dominica, Saint Lucia (1979); Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1981); The Bahamas (1982); St. Kitts and Nevis (1984); Canada (1990); Belize, Guyana (1991).

Last updated: May 2001