Gender at the OAS

Key Mandates on Gender Mainstreaming

Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women's Human Rights and Gender Equity and Equality (2000) (PDF)

Summits of the Americas (Declarations):

  • V Summit (Port-of-Spain) (PDF)
  • IV Summit (Mar del Plata) (PDF)
  • III Summit (Quebec City) (PDF)
  • II Summit (Santiago) (PDF)
  • I Summit (Miami) (PDF)

Gender-responsiveness at the OAS

The Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM) is the main body that provides technical support to gender mainstreaming policies, processes and activities, both within the OAS and with its member states.

In February 2010, with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CIM formally launched the OAS Gender Programme to build capacity and expertise among select OAS staff, and to promote gender mainstreaming across the Secretariat.  The OAS Gender Programme includes the following key components:

  • A series of six workshops, including one facilitators’ training and five specialized workshops (the first with the Department of Human Resources)
  • An online gender course, which will be mandatory for all incoming OAS personnel (forthcoming - Sept 2010)
  • The OAS Gender Community of Practice, which brings together CIM personnel, OAS gender facilitators and other interested staff members to create a space for ongoing dialogue, learning and identification of good practices and lessons learned within the Organization.

For more information about the OAS Gender Programme, download the Project Sheet.


Support to OAS member states

In addition to working with the various Secretariats, Commissions, Departments and Specialized Agencies of the OAS to mainstreaming women's rights issues, CIM also works to ensure that these issues are considered in the Ministerial meetings and other fora that the OAS organizes on different topics:

I. Gender and Labour (SEPIA I, 2000-2001)

For more information about gender mainstreaming in labour issues, visit our project page

II. Gender and Justice (SEPIA II, 2002)

  • Towards Justice with Gender: Recommendations for Integrating a Gender Perspective into the Programs and Policies of the Ministries of Justice or Ministries or Offices of Attorneys General of the Americas with Competence in this Area
    Download the full text of the Recommendations in PDF
  • Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective into the Programs and Policies of Ministries of Justice or Offices of Attorneys General
    Download the full text of the report in PDF

III. Gender and Education (SEPIA III, 2003)

IV. Gender and Science and Technology (SEPIA III, 2004)