Organization of American States (OAS)

The Organization of American States is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States, held in Washington, D.C., from October 1889 to April 1890. That meeting approved the establishment of the International Union of American Republics, and the stage was set for the weaving of a web of provisions and institutions that came to be known as the inter-American system, the oldest international institutional system.

The OAS came into being in 1948 with the signing in Bogotá, Colombia, of the Charter of the OAS, which entered into force in December 1951. It was subsequently amended by the Protocol of Buenos Aires, signed in 1967, which entered into force in February 1970; by the Protocol of Cartagena de Indias, signed in 1985, which entered into force in November 1988; by the Protocol of Managua, signed in 1993, which entered into force in January 1996; and by the Protocol of Washington, signed in 1992, which entered into force in September 1997.

The Organization was established in order to achieve among its member states—as stipulated in Article 1 of the Charter—"an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence."

Today, the OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. In addition, it has granted permanent observer status to 69 states, as well as to the European Union (EU).

The Organization uses a four-pronged approach to effectively implement its essential purposes, based on its main pillars: democracy, human rights, security, and development.

CICAD

Within OAS the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) is the Western Hemisphere's policy forum for dealing with the drug problem. The CICAD Executive Secretariat supports the Commission by strengthening the human and institutional capabilities and channeling the collective efforts of its member states to reduce the production, trafficking and use of illegal drugs.

CICAD was established by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1986. Each member government appoints a high-ranking representative to the Commission, which meets twice a year. CICAD promotes regional cooperation and coordination among OAS member states through action programs, carried out by CICAD's Executive Secretariat, to:

  • Prevent and treat substance abuse;
  • Reduce the supply and availability of illicit drugs;
  • Strengthen national drug control institutions and machinery;
  • Improve money laundering control laws and practice;
  • Develop alternate sources of income for growers of coca, poppy, and marijuana;
  • Assist member governments to improve their data gathering and analysis on all aspects of the drug issue, and
  • Help member states and the hemisphere as a whole measure their progress over time in addressing the drug problem.

CICAD's core mission is to enhance the human and institutional capacities of its member states to reduce the production, trafficking and use of illegal drugs, and to address the health, social and criminal consequences of the drug trade. 

Encuesta consumo de drogas, nivel medio de educacion - Guatemala

Book
 - 
Guatemala cuenta con una poblacion de 15 073 375 personas, con pirâmide poblacional mayoritariamente joven. Este estudio de tipo transversale, descriptivo, correlacional en una muestra de 13 856 estudiantes de ambos sexos, en edades...

Alcool : pas de produit de consommation ordinaire

Book
Du point de vue de la santé publique, la consommation d’alcool joue un rôle important dans la causalité de l’invalidité, de la maladie et de la mort à l’échelle mondiale. Elle contribue également de manière substantielle au...

La politique sur les drogues et le bien public

Book
La consommation de drogues a un impact important sur la santé publié par la maladie, l’invalidité et les problèmes sociaux, et les décideurs sont de plus en plus intéressés par l’élaboration d’une politique fondée sur des données probantes...

Statistiques sur le traitement des drogues et de l’alcool

Book
 - 
Résumé Les données recueillies dans les organismes de traitement de la toxicomanie jouent un rôle de premier plan dans l’information des décideurs. Ces données représentent souvent les seules informations recueillies régulièrement et...

Lignes directrices de la CICAD sur la prévention en milieu scolaire

Book
 - 
Telles qu’élaborées par le Groupe d’experts sur la réduction de la demande de la CICAD et approuvées par la Commission en 2004, ces lignes directrices portent sur des stratégies visant à mener des recherches, à créer du matériel éducatif, à...