ORGANIZATION
OF AMERICAN STATES
PERMANENT
COUNCIL
RULES OF PROCEDURE
OF THE PERMANENT COUNCIL
(Approved
by the Permanent Council of the Organization
at
its regular meeting on October 1, 1980.
Including
the amendments adopted at the meetings
held
on August 22, 1984, January 22, 1992, and August 9, 1995)
|
|
GENERAL SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 |
CP |
ORGANIZATION
OF AMERICAN STATES
PERMANENT
COUNCIL
OEA/Ser.G
CP/doc.1112/80
rev. 3
9
August 1995
Original:
Spanish
RULES OF
PROCEDURE
OF THE PERMANENT
COUNCIL
(Approved
by the Permanent Council of the Organization
at
its regular meeting on October 1, 1980.
Including
the amendments adopted at the meetings
held
on August 22, 1984, January 22, 1992, and August 9, 1995)
|
|
GENERAL SECRETARIAT ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006 1995 |
CP |
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
I. NATURE AND COMPOSITION................................................................................
1
II. ORDER OF PRECEDENCE.......................................................................................
1
III. CHAIRMAN
AND VICE CHAIRMAN......................................................................
1
Terms
of Office...........................................................................................................
1
Order
of Succession.....................................................................................................
1
Provisional
Replacement of the Chairman......................................................................
2
Functions
of the Chairman............................................................................................
2
IV. AD HOC COMMITTEES FOR THE PEACEFUL
SETTLEMENT
OF DISPUTES...................................................................................
3
Establishment...............................................................................................................
3
Membership
and Mandate.............................................................................................
3
Duration
of the Terms of Office of the Members...........................................................
3
V. COMMITTEES, SUBCOMMITTEES, AND WORKING
GROUPS.............................
4
Establishment...............................................................................................................
4
Permanent
Committees.................................................................................................
4
General
Committee.......................................................................................................
4
Committee
on Juridical and Political Affairs...................................................................
5
Committee
on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs......................................................
6
Committee
on Meetings and Organizations.....................................................................
7
Committee
on Panama Canal Tolls................................................................................
7
Committee
on the Environment......................................................................................
8
Committee
on Hemispheric Security..............................................................................
8
Membership.................................................................................................................
8
Duration
of Members’ Terms of Office.........................................................................
9
Installation,
Election, and Terms of Office
of Chairmen and Vice Chairmen...............................................................................
10
VI. PRIOR STUDIES AND REPORTS............................................................................ 11
Page
VII. MEETINGS................................................................................................................ 13
Regular
Meetings........................................................................................................ 13
Special
Meetings......................................................................................................... 13
Protocolary
Meetings................................................................................................... 13
Public
and Closed Meetings.......................................................................................... 14
Participation
in the Meetings......................................................................................... 14
Order
of Business........................................................................................................ 16
VIII. DEBATES.................................................................................................................. 16
Quorum...................................................................................................................... 16
The
Right to Speak...................................................................................................... 17
Proposals.................................................................................................................... 17
Withdrawal
of Proposals.............................................................................................. 17
Points
of Order............................................................................................................ 18
Suspension
of Debate.................................................................................................. 18
Closing
of Debate........................................................................................................ 18
Suspension
or Adjournment of the Meeting.................................................................... 18
Order
of Procedural Motions........................................................................................ 19
Reconsideration
of Decisions........................................................................................ 19
IX. VOTING.................................................................................................................... 19
Right
to Vote............................................................................................................... 19
Majority
Required........................................................................................................ 20
Voting
Procedure........................................................................................................ 20
Voting
on Proposals..................................................................................................... 22
Voting
on Amendments................................................................................................ 23
Voting
by Parts........................................................................................................... 23
Explanation
of Vote..................................................................................................... 23
X. GENERAL SECRETARIAT....................................................................................... 24
Functions.................................................................................................................... 24
Minutes....................................................................................................................... 25
Page
XI. PREPARATION FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY................................................. 25
Changes
of Site of a Regular Session of the
General Assembly.................................................................................................... 26
Selection
by the Permanent Council of the Site
for a Regular Session of the General
Assembly.......................................................... 26
Procedure
for Setting the Site for a
Regular Session........................................................................................................ 26
Special
Sessions.......................................................................................................... 27
XII. MEETING
OF CONSULTATION OF MINISTERS OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND THE PERMANENT COUNCIL
WHEN IT SERVES PROVISIONALLY AS ORGAN
OF CONSULTATION............................................................................................. 27
Convocation
of the Meeting of Consultation in
Application of the Charter......................................................................................... 28
Convocation
of the Meeting of Consultation in
Application of the Inter-American Treaty of
Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR).................................................................................. 28
Decisions
of the Permanent Council Serving
Provisionally as Organ of Consultation....................................................................... 28
XIII. SCOPE AND AMENDMENT OF THE RULES OF
PROCEDURE............................ 28
Transitory
Provision..................................................................................................... 29
RULES
OF PROCEDURE
OF
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL
|
I. NATURE AND COMPOSITION Article
1. The Permanent Council is one
of the organs of the Organization, and is composed of one representative of
each member state, especially appointed by the government thereof, with the
rank of ambassador. Each government
may appoint such alternate representatives or advisers as it considers advisable
and may, if necessary, accredit an acting representative. II. ORDER OF PRECEDENCE Article
2. The order of precedence of the
principal, acting, and alternate representatives shall be determined
according to the dates on which they present the respective documents
accrediting them as such. III. CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN Terms of Office Article
3. The chairman and vice chairman
of the Permanent Council shall hold office for a term of three months. The terms shall begin automatically on the
first day of the months of January, April, July, and October. Order of Succession Article
4. The office of chairman of the
Permanent Council shall be held by each of the principal representatives in
turn, following the Spanish alphabetical order of the names in Spanish of
their respective states. The office
of vice chairman shall be filled in the same way, in reverse alphabetical
order. Article
5. If the state to which the
chairmanship corresponds does not have a principal representative, the vice
chairman shall serve as chairman. If
the state to which the vice chairmanship corresponds does not have a
principal representative, the principal representatives of the states in
reverse alphabetical order shall serve in turn as vice chairman on an acting
basis. The incumbency of such
substitute in either office shall terminate with the arrival in the Permanent
Council of the principal representative of the state to which that office
pertains by right. Provisional Replacement of the Chairman Article
6. In the event of the temporary
absence or impediment of the chairman, the vice chairman shall replace him,
and in the event of the absence or impediment of both, the principal
representative with the greatest seniority shall preside. Article
7. If the offices of chairman and
vice chairman of the Permanent Council should both devolve upon the principal
representative of the same state, he shall be the chairman. The office of vice chairman shall devolve
upon the principal representative of the state next in reverse alphabetical
order, and thus successively. Functions of the Chairman Article
8. The chairman of the Council: 1. Shall call the meetings, open and
adjourn them, direct the discussions, recognize speakers in the order in
which they request the floor, put motions to a vote and announce the results
thereof, decide on points of order in accordance with the provisions of
Article 46 of these Rules of Procedure, install the committees, and, in
general, comply with and enforce the provisions of these Rules of Procedure. 2. May attend functions or ceremonies
when invited to do so in his capacity as such. 3. Shall appoint the committee of representatives
to receive, on behalf of the Council, the heads of state or government who
attend protocolary ceremonies and meetings. |