The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization of American States. It has as its principal powers, in addition to other kinds of power assigned to it by the Charter, the following:

To decide the general action and policy of the Organization, determine the structure and functions of its organs, and consider any matter relating to friendly relations among the American states;

To establish measures for coordinating the activities of the organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization among themselves, and such activities with those of the other institutions of the inter-American system;

To strengthen and coordinate cooperation with the United Nations and its specialized agencies;

To promote collaboration, especially in the economic, social, and cultural fields, with other international organizations whose purposes are similar to those of the Organization of American States;

To approve the program-budget of the Organization and determine the quotas of the member states;

To consider the reports of the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the observations and recommendations presented by the Permanent Council with regard to the reports that should be presented by the other organs and entities, as well as the reports of any organ which may be required by the General Assembly itself;

To adopt general standards to govern the operations of the General Secretariat; and

To adopt its own rules of procedure and, by a two-thirds vote, its agenda.

The General Assembly exercises its powers in accordance with the provisions of the Charter and of other Inter-American treaties.

Composition

The General Assembly is composed of the delegations accredited by the governments of the member states. All member states have the right to be represented in the General Assembly. Each state has the right to one vote.

The delegations of the member states are composed of the representatives, advisers, and other members accredited by the governments. Each delegation shall have a head of delegation.

Sessions

The General Assembly shall convene annually. In special circumstances and with the approval of two thirds of the member states, the Permanent Council may convoke a special session of the General Assembly.

The XXXVII Regular Session of the General Assembly is scheduled for Panama City, Panama, in June 3-5, 2007.

The General Assembly shall hold an inaugural session, the necessary plenary sessions, and a closing session. In the case of a special session, the inaugural session may be eliminated. These sessions shall be public, unless the respective body decides otherwise.

A private dialogue of heads of delegation is held prior to the inaugural session. The permanent observers and civil society representatives meet informally with the heads of delegation before the opening of the General Assembly.