Liaison Committee with the OAS


The general policies of the Alliance not only focus on fostering friendship and fraternity among the peoples of America, but also on programs to strengthen the quality of life and human dignity, through education as a vehicle for transformation, the promotion of gender equality, and respect for and sustainability of the environment, which are part of the inter-American agenda and are common to the objectives of the Organization of American States (OAS).


Since 1999, the OAS has created spaces for the participation of civil society in its activities, through Resolution CP/RES. 759 Guidelines for the Participation of Civil Society Organizations in the Activities of the OAS, which institutionalizes the participation of civil society in the political bodies of the OAS.

Definition of Civil Society Organization (CSO)

In accordance with the Guidelines established in Res. 759, a CSO is “any national or international institution, organization or entity made up of natural or legal persons of a non-governmental nature”.

Objectives of the Liaison Committee

  • To exclusively channel all communication between the Alliance and the OAS.


  • Participate in activities that concern civil society organizations (CSOs), either by signing Cooperation Agreements, attending hemispheric meetings or presenting initiatives.



Historical overview of the Liaison Committee with the OAS

The Pan American Round Tables Alliance was accredited by the OAS as a Civil Society Organization in October 2001, with Mrs. Lucía Peña de Elías (Fda.), benefactor and manager of several Round Tables in the Dominican Republic, as its General Director.


Mrs. Helena Torres Muga Richards, who was entrusted at that time with the Presidency of the Liaison Committee with the OAS, obtained for this task the invaluable support of Dr. Carlos Chiriboga, a high-ranking OAS official and husband of Mrs. Fabiola de Chiriboga, a member of the Committee, who also actively participated in his capacity as Past President of the Washington DC Bureau

Link with the OAS

Official communication from the Liaison Committee with the OAS is channeled through the Department of International Affairs (DAI) of the Secretariat of External Relations (SRE), which advises the Secretary General of the OAS on matters related to civil society organizations (CSOs).



Benefits of a CSO registered with the OAS

Among the benefits received by CSOs registered with the OAS and approved by the Permanent Council to participate in OAS activities are:

  1. To present recommendations and assist in the implementation of General Assembly resolutions when appropriate.
  2. Receive the OAS meeting schedule and the topics to be discussed at those meetings.
  3. Appoint representatives to participate in the public meetings of the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), and their political bodies.
  4. Access virtual consultations related to OAS topics and initiatives.
  5. Contribute to the preparation of the agenda for an annual meeting of the Permanent Council that addresses a topic of interest to CSOs registered with the OAS for a broad and substantive dialogue.
  6. Participate in closed meetings of the Permanent Council, the CIDI and its political bodies with the authorization of the Chair of the meeting, in consultation with the delegations of the participating Member States.
  7. Receive documents in advance of meetings of working groups and special committees of the Permanent Council or the CIDI.
  8. Distribute written documents before the meetings of the Permanent Council or CIDI Committees.
  9. Submit written documents not exceeding 2,000 words on matters within their specific area of competence and included in the agenda of the meeting of the Permanent Council, the CIDI, and its Committees. These documents will be distributed to the Member States by the General Secretariat well in advance.
  10. To receive the resolutions adopted in the ordinary sessions of the OAS General Assembly.


Source: OAS