Department of International Law

A. Structure

1. The Department of International Law and its staff are under the overall direction, supervision, and control of the director of the Department, who answers to the secretary for legal affairs, in accordance with the legal system of the Organization and with the provisions of this Executive Order.

B. Functions

1. Advises the General Assembly, the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Council, the General Secretariat, and other organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS on matters of public and private international law and the statutory and regulatory aspects of the functioning of those bodies.

2. Provides secretariat support to the Inter-American Juridical Committee.

3. Provides technical secretariat services on matters related to indigenous peoples, the organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS, as well as its committees and working groups and exercises general coordination within the General Secretariat.

4. Provides secretariat support to the Working Group to Examine the Progress Reports of the States Parties to the Protocol of San Salvador in accordance with the Standards for the Preparation of Periodic Reports pursuant to Article 19 of the Protocol of San Salvador.

5. Advises the inter-American specialized conferences on matters of public and private international law.

6. Prepares and coordinates studies and research on topics related to the development and codification of public and private international law.

7. Supports, through studies and documents, activities geared toward the standardization and harmonization of laws on public and private international law in the member states, including the legal aspects of economic integration in the regional context.

8. Serves as depository of inter-American multilateral treaties, a function entrusted to the General Secretariat by the OAS Charter.

9. Serves as depository of bilateral agreements concluded by OAS organs with American states or with other inter-American organizations or national entities of member or permanent observer states, and of agreements concluded among member states for which the General Secretariat has been designated as depository.

10. Publishes an electronic database on inter-American treaties.

11. Provides legal program content for projects and activities in the priority areas and assists them in developing proposals on conventions or “model” laws, as requested.

12. In coordination with other bodies of the Organization and with governmental and nongovernmental institutions, promotes courses, meetings, and seminars on legal topics of interest to the Hemisphere.

13. Publishes and releases studies and reports prepared by the Inter-American Juridical Committee, by the inter-American specialized conferences on legal topics, and by the Secretariat for Legal Affairs.