Organization of American States history

The Charter of the Organization of American States was the result of a long process of negotiation that began in 1945.

To meet the challenges of global conflict in the postwar world and to contain conflicts within the hemisphere, they adopted a system of collective security, the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) signed in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro.

By 1948, with the start of the Cold War, it had become apparent that a stronger security system was needed in the Western Hemisphere to meet the perceived threat of international communism.

Concern over slow economic development led the United States and 19 other OAS members to establish the Inter-American Development Bank in 1959.

In 1960, the OAS adopted the Act of Bogotá, which called for a hemisphere-wide commitment to economic and social development.

In the economic and social field, its most notable achievement was its adoption of the Charter of Punta del Este (1961), establishing the Alliance for Progress.

In 1962, because of its pro-Soviet leanings in the Cold War, the Cuban government was formally prevented from participating in OAS meetings and activities.

The OAS also supported the United States’ unilateral military intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965 to prevent a left-wing government from coming to power.

In the wake of the United States invasion, the OAS created an inter-American military force that kept the peace in the Dominican Republic until new elections were held there in 1966.

In the wake of the United States invasion, the OAS created an inter-American military force that kept the peace in the Dominican Republic until new elections were held there in 1966. For example, it provided the framework for a truce and subsequent resolution of the Soccer War (1969) between Honduras and El Salvador.

The Conferences of American States met at varying intervals until, in 1970, they were replaced by the sessions of the OAS General Assembly, once the Protocol of Amendment to the Charter of the Organization of American States, adopted in Buenos Aires, had entered into force.

While not involving any changes to the COAS, this inclination led to the establishment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in 1978.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights was established at San José, C.Rica, in 1979.

In May 2007, in response to media reports on the government’s inability to handle crime, Zelaya ordered a propaganda campaign to be broadcast on radio and television stations for at least two hours a day—a move that was criticized by the international community.

In June 2009 OAS’s foreign ministers voted to lift the suspension of Cuba’s membership, but Cuba declined to rejoin the organization.

Zelaya left Honduras for exile in the Dominican Republic on January 27, 2010, the day that Lobo was inaugurated as president.