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Background

FACT SHEET: Basic information on the 47th OAS General Assembly in Mexico

• The 47th General Assembly of the OAS will take place on June 19-21 in Cancun, Mexico. The central theme of the Assembly is “Strengthening Dialogue and Concerted Action for Prosperity”. 

• This will be the first time that Mexico will host a regular session of the General Assembly. 

• On the occasion of the General Assembly, The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OAS will resume the Consultation Meeting on Venezuela that was suspended on May 31, 2017. The meeting of consultation is not part of the Assembly activities in Cancun. 

• The General Assembly is the main body of the OAS. It is composed of all the delegations of the member states, and is generally led by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs. 

• Each Member State has the right to cast a vote. The decisions of the General Assembly are usually taken by majority; however, in certain cases, rules require a two/thirds vote. The tradition of the OAS is to decide by consensus. 

• The Assembly is responsible for determining policies and mandates of the OAS in terms of the structure and the functioning of its organs. 

• The General Assembly is responsible for the election of the members of decentralized and autonomous organs such as the IACHR, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Juridical Committee, and The Justice Studies Center of the Americas, among others. 

• More than 1600 people will participate in the meeting, including delegations of the member states, representatives of civil society, workers, business leaders, special guests, members of the press, and OAS staff. 

• The 47th Assembly will be the third of Secretary General Luis Almagro. 

• The General Assembly of the OAS has met annually since 1971. Before the meetings of this sort, the OAS held meetings called International Conferences of American States. 

• Since 1971, 22 countries have hosted the General Assembly. Countries that have hosted the assembly the most, besides OAS headquarters, are Chile and Guatemala: three times respectively. 

• The agenda of the General Assembly includes 5 sessions over the course of two days and 4 thematic panels: the inaugural session will take place June 19; the first session and panels on integral development and prosperity in the hemisphere, and panel on opportunities and challenges for women’s leadership in the Americas will take place Tuesday June 20; The second, third plenary session and closing ceremony, and the panels on Rule of Law, Human Rights and Democracy, and panel on multidimensional security will take place on Wednesday, June 21. 

• On Monday the 19th, the Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General and the heads of delegations will meet with civil society and other actors and the Permanent Observers of the OAS. 

• For more information, visit the Assembly webpage.

Reference: S-009/17