Article 1. The Inter-American Commission of Women is an Inter-American specialized organization of a permanent nature, established in accordance with the provisions of Chapter XVIII of the Charter of the Organization of American States.

The Commission shall enjoy technical autonomy in the performance of its functions, within the limits of its Statute and of the Charter of the Organization. It shall have its headquarters in the country where the OAS General Secretariat operates.

CHAPTER II. OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS

Article 2. The purpose of the Commission is to promote and protect women's rights, and to support the member states in their efforts to ensure full exercise of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights that will make possible equal participation by women and men in all aspects of society, so that women and men will share, fully and equally, both the benefits of development and responsibility for the future.

The objectives and functions of the Inter-American Commission of Women are:

a. To identify through appropriate means the areas in which it is necessary to step up the integral participation of women in the economic, political, social, and cultural development of peoples.

b. To formulate strategies aimed at transforming the roles of and relationship between, women and men in all spheres of public and private life to those of two beings of equal worth, equally responsible for the fate of humanity.

c. To propose solutions and to urge the governments to take all appropriate measures to remove barriers to full and equal participation by women in civil, economic, social, cultural, and political spheres.

d. To promote the mobilization, training, and organization of women to achieve equal participation in civil, political, economic, social, and cultural leadership positions, and to propose that, in the process of planning, organizing, and executing development programs, they be provided at all times with the means necessary to bring about such participation and representation.

e. To promote access by women and girls to education and training programs, paying particular attention to the situation of women in the labor force and in disadvantaged sectors.

f. To urge the governments to comply with provisions adopted by specialized inter-American or international conferences, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Commission of Women that are designed to achieve gender equity.

g. To serve as an advisory body to the Organization of American States and its organs in all matters related to the women of the hemisphere and in any other matters on which they may consult it.

h. To establish close ties of cooperation with those inter-American organizations, world organizations and public and private agencies whose activities affect women.

i. To report regularly to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on the principal activities of the Commission.

j. To report to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on all aspects of the status of women in the Hemisphere, on progress made in this field, and on problems that ought to be considered, and to submit to the governments of the member states recommendations aimed at solving problems related to women's status in the countries of the region.

k. To promote the adoption or adaptation of the necessary legal measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.

Article 3. The Inter-American Commission of Women shall achieve its objectives through the following:

a. The Assembly of Delegates

b. The Executive Committee

c. The President

d. The Delegates

e. The National Committees of Cooperation

f. The Permanent Secretariat

 

Article 4. The Inter-American Commission of Women shall be composed of one Principal Delegate for each member state of the Organization of American States, appointed by her government. The Principal Delegate shall be a national of, and reside in, the country she represents.

Each member state of the Organization may appoint women or men as alternates and advisers to cooperate with the Principal Delegate.

Persons holding the position of Alternate and Advisor shall be nationals of the country they represent.

Article 5. At the request of the Commission, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States shall ask the governments to appoint their respective Delegates to the Inter-American Commission of Women whenever a vacancy occurs in the representation.

Article 6. Notice of the appointment of a Delegate shall be transmitted to the Commission through the Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

Article 7. The honoraria and travel and other expenses required for the delegates to participate in the Assemblies and in other activities of the Commission shall be provided by the respective governments.

Article 8. When special assignments are entrusted to the Commission by the Organization of American States, the General Secretariat shall defray the expenses in accordance with the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat and the budget allocations approved by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States.

Article 9. The Commission shall hold regular Assemblies every two years and special Assemblies on the dates and under the conditions set forth in the Regulations. These Assemblies shall formulate the policy and specify the action program of the Commission. The regular Assemblies shall be held no later than ninety days after the expiration of the two-year period following the previous regular Assembly.

Article 10. At the request of the President, the Executive Committee, or a majority of the delegates, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States shall, as provided in Article 4 of this Statute, ask the governments, a reasonable time in advance, to appoint their Delegations to the regular and special Assemblies.

Only Principal or Alternate Delegates to the Inter-American Commission of Women who are duly accredited to the Assembly shall be entitled to vote in the Assemblies.

Article 11. The site for the Assemblies of the Commission shall be set by the Assemblies themselves or failing that, by the Executive Committee. The meeting place shall rotate among the countries represented on the Commission on the invitation of the governments. Should such an invitation not be issued, the Assembly shall be held at the headquarters of the Commission.

Article 12. The special Assemblies shall take place not more than ninety days after the date of convocation.

Article 13. The government of a state that has accredited a Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States may also accredit an Observer to the Inter-American Commission of Women. For this purpose, the government may accredit the person or persons it appoints to carry out these duties by addressing a note to the President of the Inter-American Commission of Women.

Article 14. The Inter-American Commission of Women shall elect its President from among the Principal Delegates of the member states that are members of the Commission, taking into consideration the principle of equitable geographic distribution.

Article 15. The President shall be elected by an absolute majority of the Delegates of the member states that are members of the Commission. The election shall be held at the regular Assembly held in the year in which the President's term of office expires or at a special Assembly convoked for that purpose.

Article 16. The President shall hold office for a two-year term.

Article 17. If the President should for any reason be unable to serve in her post, the Vice President shall replace her in the performance of her duties. If the Vice President is unable to take up the presidency immediately, the Executive Committee shall elect one of its members to serve until the impediment is removed.

Article 18. The Vice President shall be elected at the same Assembly at which the President of the Commission is elected, in the same manner, and for the same term of office as the President. In the event that she assumes the office of President, she shall assume all the rights and duties of that office and shall serve until the end of the term.

Article 19. A Vice President holding the office of President may be elected to the post of President for the following term provided the vacancy occurs during the second half of the previous term.

Article 20. In the event the offices of the President and the Vice President fall vacant simultaneously, the Executive Committee shall appoint one of its members as Acting President, to serve until a new election is held. Within ninety days after the appointment of an Acting President, the Executive Committee shall convene a special Assembly to elect officers for both positions.

Article 21. In compliance with the mandate given her by the Assembly, the President shall have the fullest authority to direct the activities of the Commission and shall have the following duties and functions:

a. To legally represent the Commission;

b. To comply with and enforce the provisions of the legal instruments that govern the Commission and the decisions of its Assemblies, the Executive Committee, and the General Assembly of the Organization of American States;

c. To present the program of activities of the Commission and to prepare the preliminary draft agenda for meetings of the Assembly, to be approved by the Executive Committee;

d. To monitor the performance of the duties of the Commission and to this end, to establish guidelines for the Permanent Secretariat to carry out the overall policy of the Commission and its program of activities;

e. To preside over the regular and special Assemblies held at Commission headquarters;

f. To preside over Assemblies held outside Commission headquarters, until the permanent presiding officer has been elected;

g. To convene and preside over the meetings of the Executive Committee, and to sign its minutes;

h. To report to the Principal Delegates of the Inter-American Commission of Women on all activities of the Commission, especially when those activities take place in their respective countries;

i. To address the governments of the member states on matters relating to the activities of the Commission, and also the Councils and other agencies of the Organization of American States; the General Secretariat; international organizations; Permanent Observers to the Organization of American States accredited to the Inter-American Commission of Women; institutions interested in the goals of the Commission, and governments that have cooperative relations with the Organization of American States. The communications addressed to the governments shall be sent simultaneously to the respective Principal Delegates;

j. To represent the Commission at meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, at meetings of any other regional or international organizations, and at any other public or official event;

k. To submit to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States for consideration, in accordance with Article 112 (c) of the Charter of the Organization of American States, the preliminary proposed program-budget of the Commission, as approved by the Executive Committee, and to transmit it in a timely manner to the Principal Delegates;

l. To receive and submit to the Executive Committee reports prepared by the Permanent Secretariat on the financial statements of its regular funds and other resources of the Commission;

m. To present annual reports to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on the progress of the activities of the Commission and on its annual budget and accounts, in accordance with Article 127 of the Charter of the Organization of American States;

n. To negotiate donations and bequests for the Inter-American Commission of Women, and to accept them with the approval of the Executive Committee;

o. To urge the governments of the member states to include women in their delegations to international conferences;

p. To submit the multinational programs of the Inter-American Commission of Women to the Executive Committee for approval and to monitor their implementation;

q. To perform all other duties entrusted to her by the Assembly of the Commission and by the Executive Committee.

Article 22. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President, the Vice President and the Principal or Alternate Delegates of the five countries elected. The Executive Committee shall meet at the Headquarters of the Commission or in any member state of the Organization of American States.

Provisions shall be made for travel and per diem expenses of the members of the Executive Committee in the preliminary proposed program-budget of the Inter-American Commission of Women.

Article 23. Member states of the Executive Committee shall be elected for a two-year term, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 14 and this 15 of Statute.

No member state may run for more than one elective office in any one term.

Article 24. During the interval between Assemblies, the Executive Committee shall perform the following functions:

Make preparations for holding the regular and special Assemblies;

c. Draw up the draft agenda for the Assembly and transmit it to the governments of the member states and to the Delegates in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Regulations;

d. Study and approve the annual work program of the Commission, including all technical training programs, seminars, projects, operation plans and other activities, together with those of the Permanent Secretariat, which shall be transmitted to the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States for the preparation of the section part of the preliminary proposed program-budget of the Organization that refers to the Commission;

In the interval between Assemblies, take any necessary decisions that are too urgent to allow for consultation with all the Delegates;

Approve the reports of the Inter-American Commission of Women presented to the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, pursuant to Article 127 of the OAS Charter, and to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at its regular meetings.

Authorize the President to accept donations and bequests to the Commission from nongovernmental sources;

Delegate to the President those powers and functions it may deem appropriate.

CHAPTER VIII. PERMANENT SECRETARIAT

Article 25. The Permanent Secretariat shall perform the administrative, technical, and executive functions of the Inter-American Commission of Women. It shall prepare the preliminary proposed program-budget of the Commission, which shall be approved by the Executive Committee. The budget shall include the travel expenses of the President or whoever represents her, as well as those of the meetings of the Executive Committee, those of the Permanent Secretariat, and the expenditures called for in the final part of Article 21 of the present Statute.

The Permanent Secretariat shall operate out of the offices of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, in keeping with the Agreement referred to in Article 128 of the Charter of the Organization.

Article 26. The office shall be under the responsibility of an Executive Secretary, appointed by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, taking into consideration the opinion of the Executive Committee.

Article 27. The Permanent Secretariat shall employ technical staff specializing in planning and programming, research, team work, and other fields as required by the needs of the program

Article 28. The National Committees of Cooperation shall cooperate with the Principal Delegate in promoting the purposes and aims of the Commission in each country. They shall be organized, directed and chaired by the Principal Delegate, who shall appoint its members to represent the various interests and activities of women.

In case of the absence of the Principal Delegate, the direction and chairmanship of these Committees shall be exercised by the Alternate Delegate designated by the Principal Delegate.

Article 29. Amendments to the Statute of the Inter-American Commission of Women must be approved by the Assembly of Delegates whose agenda includes such a topic. Amendments must be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Delegates of the states represented on the Commission.

Article 30. Draft amendments to the Statute proposed by one or more governments of the member states of the Commission must be duly transmitted to the other governments by the President of the Commission.

Article 31. The Executive Committee of the Inter-American Commission of Women shall present a preliminary draft Statute to the Assembly of Delegates, taking into account any draft amendments proposed by the member states.

Article 32. Any amendments adopted shall be transmitted by the President to the governments of the member states and to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States.

Article 33. The Inter-American Commission of Women shall draw up its own Regulations and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of Delegates, which shall conform to the provisions of the present Statute.

Article 34. Cases not provided for in the present Statute, as well as any point regarding interpretation thereof, shall be decided at the Assemblies by the vote of an absolute majority of the Delegates of the member states of the Commission.

Article 35. The present Statute shall enter into force on the date on which it is adopted by the Assembly.

(Approved at the XXIX Assembly of Delegates (CIM/RES.210 (XXIX-O/98)), on November 18, 1998)