About the OAS

• Who We Are
• What We Do
• Our Structure
  • General Assembly
  • Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
  • Councils
  • Inter-American Juridical Committee
  • Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
  • General Secretariat
    • Secretary General
    • Assistant Secretary General
    • Secretariats
    • Other Autonomous and/or Decentralized Organs, Agencies, Entities, and Dependencies
  • Specialized Conferences
  • Specialized Organizations
• Our Locations
• Offices in Member States
• Our History
• Logo
• Authorities

Councils

The Permanent Council of the Organization and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development both report directly to the General Assembly. Each has the authority granted to it in the OAS Charter and other inter-American instruments, as well as the functions assigned by the General Assembly and the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

• Permanent Council
  
  The Permanent Council of the Organization has the powers assigned to it in Chapter XII of the OAS Charter and the other inter-American instruments, as well as the functions entrusted to it by the General Assembly and the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
  
  Article 84 of the OAS Charter states that the Permanent Council shall keep vigilance over the maintenance of friendly relations among the member states and assist them in the peaceful settlement of their disputes. The Council carries out the mandates of the General Assembly or of the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs whose implementation has not been assigned to any other body. The Council also serves as the Preparatory Committee to the General Assembly.
  
  At the request of the member states, the Permanent Council prepares draft agreements to promote and facilitate cooperation between the OAS, the United Nations, and other inter-American institutions. The Council considers the reports of the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system and presents to the General Assembly any observations and recommendations it deems necessary.
  
  The Council ensures that the General Standards to Govern the Operations of the General Secretariat are observed and applied, and when the General Assembly is not in session, the Council approves regulatory provisions that enable the General Secretariat to carry out its administrative functions.
• Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)
  
  The Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) is an organ of the OAS that reports directly to the General Assembly. It was established when the Protocol of Managua entered into force on January 29, 1996, and it has decision-making authority in matters related to partnership for development. Its functions are detailed in Chapter XIII of the OAS Charter. Its subsidiary bodies are the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI), the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD), the Nonpermanent Specialized Committees (CENPES), and the Inter-American Committees.