THE SECRETARY GENERAL,

In exercise of the authority conferred upon him under Articles 109 and 113 of the Charter of the Organization of American States ("OAS") and Articles 4, 8, and 12 of the General Standards to Govern the Operation of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States, and

CONSIDERING:

The need to reorganize the Department of Public Information ("the Department") so that it may carry out its functions and responsibilities more effectively and efficiently.

RESOLVES:

I. BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE DEPARTMENT

A. The Department is a dependency of the Office of the Secretary General. The Director of the Department is directly responsible to the Chief of Staff. The Director, administers, coordinates, and has technical responsibility for the work product and personnel of the Department, as well as for the Department's fulfillment of its responsibilities and its performance of its functions under this Executive Order.

B. The Department includes the following service areas: (1) Press/Media Relations; (2) Publications/Editorial Support; (3) Special Projects; (4) Radio and Television; and (5) Americas Magazine

II. FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

A. The general functions and responsibilities of the Department are:

1. To promote a greater international awareness and understanding of the OAS and the OAS General Secretariat ("GS/OAS") by developing and implementing a broad and multifaceted program for the publication and distribution of information on OAS and GS/OAS objectives and activities;

2. To provide advisory services on public information and media usage to the other dependencies of the General Secretariat.

B. The specific functions and responsibilities of the service areas of the Department are as follows:

1. Press/Media Relations

a. To promote OAS and GS/OAS activities by developing, producing and distributing pertinent press releases, special news articles, and other materials to international news agencies, newspapers and magazines;

b. To develop and sustain pro-actively relations with the media to facilitate and promote the publication of news articles about OAS and GS/OAS activities;

c. To maintain a photographic service which responds to GS/OAS needs; and

d. To produce regularly and transmit both by electronic means and in hard copy periodic news publications, including OAS Weekly Report, Bole tin de Noticias, Caribbean News, and News Clips.

2. Publications/Editorial Assistance

a. To produce and distribute the OAS Newsletter, six issues per year, in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish;

b. To produce and distribute the basic OAS brochure and other publications for the general public in the English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish; and

c. To produce and place for publication in the Media, in collaboration with the Press/Media Relations Service Area, op-ed pieces and other specialized articles promoting the OAS and GS/OAS and their activities.

3. Special Projects

a. To take responsibility for the design, maintenance, quality and editorial consistency of the OAS "Home Page" on the Internet, to arrange for the Internet transmission of live and video events, and to cooperate with the Radio and Television Service Area in the production of Internet teleconferencing;

b. To facilitate and assist the integration of the diverse products and services of the Department within electronic media;

c. To produce, in coordination with the other Service Areas of the Department and as instructed by the Director, special projects, including film, video series, seminars, festivals, and other media events, especially those that involve the Internet.

4. Radio and Television

a. To produce programs for radio and television that include reports, news, commentaries interviews, roundtable discussions, and that will promote the activities of the GAS and amply disseminate information about them;

b. To produce videos about events at GS/OAS headquarters for archival purposes and for transmission to television stations in the member states;

c. To produce live transmissions as well as edited material for and about the activities and objectives of GS/OAS' units and other dependencies with programs of interest to the public; and

d. To arrange, through cooperative agreements, the structure of regular GS/OAS-produced radio programming over the networks and local radio stations in all the member states.

5. Am�ricas Magazine

a. To publish 6 issues of Am�ricas Magazine per year, with separate but identical language editions (English and Spanish), following the guidelines established by the Permanent Council's Editorial Board and in accordance with its sales revenues and other resources provided under the Program-Budget;

b. To report periodically and as otherwise requested to the Permanent Council's Editorial Board for Am�ricas Magazine;

c. To produce premiums and other materials utilized in the sale and promotion of the magazine; and

d. To promote the widest sale and promotion of the magazine as possible in the member states.

AMENDMENTS AND REPEALS

This Executive Order specifically replaces Executive Orders Nos.97-5 and 98-2, and it supersedes any and all prior and present norms, regulations, and practices of the General Secretariat to the contrary.

ENTRY INTO FORCE

This Executive Order shall enter into force on the date it is signed.

Date: September 30, 1999
Original: English