Article 2 of CP/RES. 759, "Guidelines for the Participation of CSOs in OAS Activities," defines a civil society organization (CSO) as "any national or international institution, organization, or entity made up of natural or juridical persons of a non-governmental nature."

First, a civil society organization can register in the Organization of American States (OAS). Second, if a civil society organization would like to participate without registering, it can attend meetings of the General Assembly, the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), and other specialized conferences of the OAS by requesting to attend as a Special Guest. The third way to participate in OAS activities is by signing cooperation agreements with the OAS General Secretariat in order to develop joint programs.

- Present recommendations and assist in effectively implementing the OAS resolutions adopted at each session of the General Assembly, as appropriate.

- Receive the calendar of OAS meetings and, when possible, the themes to be discussed in the meetings.

- Designate representatives to participate in public meetings of the Permanent Council, CIDI and their subsidiary bodies.

- Access virtual consultations on issues and initiatives promoted by the OAS.

- Contribute to the elaboration of the agenda of an annual meeting of the Permanent Council on a matter of special interest to registered CSOs for a broad and substantive dialogue.

- Attend closed meetings of the Permanent Council, the CIDI, and other organs with authorization from the Chair of the meeting in question, in consultation with the participating Member State delegations.

- Receive documents in advance of the meetings of the Working Groups and Special Committees of the Permanent Council or the CIDI.

- Distribute written documents before meetings of the Committees of the Permanent Council or of the CIDI.

- Present written documents, not exceeding 2,000 words, on questions that fall within its particular sphere of competence and appear on the agenda or order of business for the meetings of the Permanent Council, CIDI and their Committees. These documents shall be distributed by the General Secretariat to Member States.

- Receive the OAS resolutions adopted at each session of the General Assembly.

CSOs seeking to be registered in the OAS and participate in the Organization’s activities must comply with the "Guidelines for the Participation of CSOs in OAS Activities" approved by the Permanent Council in Resolution CP/RES. 759. Each civil society organization must send a letter to the OAS Secretary General indicating its interest in being considered for such status. The letter should be sent to:

Secretary General
Organization of American States
17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20006
U.S.A.

With copy to:
Jane Thery
Director, Department of International Affairs
Organization of American States
19th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
U.S.A.

The application must contain the following information:

1. Official name, address and date of establishment of the organization and the name(s) of its director(s) and legal representative(s).

2. Primary areas of activity and their relationship to the activities of the OAS organs, agencies, and entities in which it wishes to participate.

3. Reasons why the organization believes its proposed contributions to OAS activities would be of interest to the OAS.

4. Identification of the OAS work areas in which the organization proposes to support the ongoing activities of the OAS or to make recommendations on the best way to achieve OAS objectives.

Applications should include the following documentation:

- A duly notarized copy of the articles of incorporation, charter, or constitution;

- A duly notarized copy of the certificate of incorporation, if applicable;

- A duly notarized copy of the bylaws;

- A copy of the most recent annual report;

- Institutional mission statement signed by a director or the legal representative; and

- A copy of the financial statements for the previous fiscal year, including reference to public and private sources of financing, signed by the financial officer or the public accountant of the applicant organization.

Upon receiving the request to be registered in the OAS, the Secretary General will submit the application to the Department of International Affairs (DIA) to review the letter, attached documents, and verify that all the requirements and supporting documents mentioned above have been included in the application.

If the application is complete, the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities (CISC) of the Permanent Council will make a recommendation on the organization’s eligibility for registration. An organization may be required to provide additional information before the Committee can complete its review. If this is the case, the General Secretariat will notify the organization immediately.

The recommendations of the CISC will be presented to the Permanent Council to make a decision regarding the registration of the organization. If the Permanent Council decides to accept the request, the civil society organization will be notified and the name of the organization and its application will be added to the Registry of CSOs.  

CSOs seeking registration must have:

- Recognized standing within its particular field of competence and must be of a representative nature.

- Institutional structure that includes appropriate mechanisms for holding its officers accountable and subject to its members.

- Legal representative and an executive officer, as well as an established headquarters.

- Resources obtained primarily from its affiliates or individual members.

- The institutional and financial structure should be transparent and afford the CSO a certain degree of independence.

- Headquarters or principal activities not located in any territory over which there exists a sovereignty dispute between an OAS Member State and a State outside the hemisphere.

- Geographic origin - The Committee seeks to ensure the registration of CSOs from all Member States, in order to facilitate just, balanced and effective participation by all regions of the hemisphere.

- Answer inquiries from the organs, agencies and entities of the OAS and provide advisory services to them upon request.

- Disseminate information on OAS activities to its members.

- Present to the General Secretariat, before December 31st of each year, a report containing an executive summary on its participation in OAS activities during that year, its financial situation and sources of funding, and the activities planned for the coming year.

- Keep the information on its executive officers up-to-date.

As of June 3, 2015, 465 organizations have been registered in the Organization of American States. To see the list of registered CSOs, please click here.

Any civil society organization (CSO) wishing to attend the OAS General Assembly must send a letter to the Secretary General, with a copy to the Department of International Affairs of the OAS, at least forty-five (45) days prior to the opening session, indicating its interest in observing the proceedings under the category of "Special Guest."  

Those organizations that are not registered in the OAS must submit a letter to the Secretary General, accompanied by the following documents: charter or constitution, statutes or by-laws, most recent annual report, and institutional mission statement.

The indicated time period is necessary because the General Secretariat must submit a final list of organizations to the Permanent Council for approval at least thirty (30) days prior to the General Assembly. Additionally, the organizations must receive authorization from the host country.

This process is independent of other CSO participation processes in the OAS, and CSOs registered in the OAS must still request the category of "Special Guests" for each General Assembly they wish to attend.

The letter should be sent to:

Secretary General
Organization of American States
MNB-20
17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20006
U.S.A.

In accordance with CP/RES. 840 (1361/03) "Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities," directly preceding the General Assembly there will be a Dialogue among Heads of Delegation of the Member States, the Secretary General of the OAS and representatives of CSOs. Heads of Delegation agreed at the XXXIII General Assembly in 2003 that this Dialogue will henceforth become an institutionalized meeting of the General Assembly.

CSOs wishing to attend the meetings of Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) must send a letter to the Secretary General of the Organization at least fifteen (15) days prior to the opening meeting of CIDI. The letter should specifically request permission to attend that CIDI meeting as a Special Guest.

The letter should be sent to:

Secretary General
Organization of American States
17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20006
U.S.A.

The General Secretariat will submit this letter to the Permanent Executive Committee of CIDI (CEPCIDI) for its review. If the request is approved by the CEPCIDI and the Chair of the meeting, the General Secretariat will issue the corresponding invitation. 

Most Inter-American Committees of the CIDI have provisions in their rules similar to those in CIDI’s rules for the participation in their meetings. In most cases, those provisions stipulate that the letter of request be sent fifteen (15) days prior to the commencement of the meeting to the Chair of the Committee or its Executive Board.  If non-registered CSOs are approved to participate, they will be considered as special guests.

CSOs wishing to contribute technical, administrative or financial cooperation to the General Secretariat, or otherwise wish to design, finance or execute joint projects with the OAS can do so by entering into a cooperation agreement with the General Secretariat.

 There are two types of cooperation agreements: special and general.  Through a special cooperation agreement, a CSO may carry out programs on behalf of the Organization, participate in the execution of joint projects, or contribute technical, administrative, or financial resources to a program of the OAS.

 A CSO may also sign a general cooperation agreement, through which it would be able respond to inquiries and provide advisory services to the OAS political bodies in its particular area of competence, disseminate information to its members about the objectives and activities of the Organization, receive OAS documents and publications on topics of its interest and be invited to observe public meetings of the OAS.

A CSO wishing to establish a cooperation agreement with the OAS must identify the technical area of the General Secretariat responsible for the area of interest.  Second, the organization must submit a proposal with clearly defined objectives and determine the type of agreement it would like to conclude (whether general or specific).  In addition, under a cooperation agreement with the OAS, the CSO is required to have the economic resources and sufficient staff to fulfill and follow up as necessary on the obligations and stipulations set forth in the agreement.  If it meets the aforementioned requirements, the CSO may proceed with its request and transmit copies of the following documentation to the Organization:

 §       Charter or Constitution and those documents certifying it as a CSO

§         The names of its directors and officers during the previous three years

§         The names of its major contributors (provided that this is not in violation of any confidentiality agreements)

 If, after submission of the documents, a preliminary agreement is reached between the General Secretariat and the CSO, a document will be drawn up for the Secretary General’s approval and signature.

The Summits of the Americas Process has established that all CSOs can participate in the Summits of the Americas, which occur approximately every three years. To participate in this process, the CSO should send a communication to the Summits of the Americas Secretariat [email protected].

For more information, please visit the webpage of the Summits of the Americas Secretariat (www.summit-americas.org).

The Department of International Affairs announces information about upcoming opportunities for civil society participation in OAS activities on the OAS Civil Society Website (www.civil-society.oas.org).