CHAPTER XIV: THE SPECIALIZED CONFERENCES ARTICLE 93 The Specialized Conferences shall meet to deal with special technical matters or to develop specific aspects of inter-American cooperation, when it is so decided by the Inter-American Conference or the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs; when interAmerican agreements so provide; or when the Council of the Organization considers it necessary, either on its own initiative or at the request of one of its organs or of one of the Specialized Organizations. ARTICLE 94 The program and regulations of the Specialized Conferences shall be prepared by the organs of the Council of the Organization or by the Specialized Organizations concerned; they shall be submitted to the Member Governments for consideration and transmitted to the Council for its information. CHAPTER XV: THE SPECIALIZED ORGANIZATIONS ARTICLE 95 For the purposes of the present Charter, Inter-American Specialized Organizations are the intergovernmental organizations established by multilateral agreements and having specific functions with respect to technical matters of common interest to the American States. ARTICLE 96 The Council shall, for the purposes stated in Article 53, maintain a register of the Organizations that fulfill the conditions set forth in the foregoing Article. ARTICLE 97 The Specialized Organizations shall enjoy the fullest technical autonomy and shall take into account the recommendations of the Council, in conformity with the provisions of the present Charter. ARTICLE 98 The Specialized Organizations shall submit to the Council periodic reports on the progress of their work and on their annual budgets and expenses. ARTICLE 99 Agreements between the Council and the Specialized Organizations contemplated in paragraph c) of Article 53 may provide that such Organizations transmit their budgets to the Council for approval. Arrangements may also be made for the Pan American Union to receive the quotas of the contributing countries and distribute them in accordance with the said agreements. ARTICLE 100 The Specialized Organizations shall establish cooperative relations with world agencies of the same character in order to coordinate their activities. In concluding agreements with international agencies of a world-wide character, the Inter-American Specialized Organizations shall preserve their identity and their status as integral parts of the Organization of American States, even when they perform regional functions of international agencies. ARTICLE 101 In determining the geographic location of the Specialized Organizations the interests of all the American States shall be taken into account. PART THREE CHAPTER XVI: THE UNITED NATIONS ARTICLE 102 None of the provisions of this Charter shall be construed as impairing the rights and obligations of the Member States under the Charter of the United Nations. CHAPTER XVII: MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS ARTICLE 103 The Organization of American States shall enjoy in the territory of each Member such legal capacity, privileges and immunities as are necessary for the exercise of its functions and the accomplishment of its purposes. ARTICLE 101 The Representatives of the Governments on the Council of the Organization, the representatives on the organs of the Council, the personnel of their delegations, as well as the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization, shall enjoy the privileges and immunities necessary for the independent performance of their duties. ARTICLE 105 The juridical status of the Inter-American Specialized Organizations and the privileges and immunities that should be granted to them and to their personnel, as well as to the officials of the Pan American, Union shall be determined in each case through agreements between the respective organizations and the Governments concerned. ARTICLE 106 Correspondence of the Organization of American States, including printed matter and parcels, bearing the frank thereof, shall be carried free of charge in the mails of the Member States. ARTICLE 107 The Organization of American States does not recognize any restriction on the eligibility of men and women to participate in the activities of the various Organs and to hold positions therein. CHAPTER XVIII: RATIFICATION AND ENTRY INTO FORCE ARTICLE 108 The present Charter shall remain open for signature by the American States and shall be ratified in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures. The original instrument, the Spanish, English, Portuguese and French texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the Pan American Union, which shall transmit certified copies thereof to the Governments for purposes of ratification. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Pan American Union, which shall notify the signatory States of such deposit. ARTICLE 109 The present Charter shall enter into force among the ratifying States when two-thirds of the signatory States have deposited their ratifications. It shall enter into force with respect to the remaining States in the order in which they deposit their ratifications. ARTICLE 110 The present Charter shall be registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations through the Pan American Union. ARTICLE 111 Amendments to the present Charter may be adopted only at an Inter-American Conference convened for that purpose. Amendments shall enter into force in accordance with the terms and procedure set forth in Article 109. ARTICLE 112 The present Charter shall remain in force indefinitely, but may be denounced by any Member State upon written notification to the Pan American Union, which shall communicate to all the others each notice of denunciation received. After two years from the date on which the Pan American Union receives a notice of denunciation, the present Charter shall cease to be in force with respect to the denouncing State, which shall cease to belong to the Organization after fulfilled the obligations arising from the present Charter. has In witness whereof the undersigned Plenipotentiaries, whose full powers have been presented and found to be in good and due form, sign the present Charter at the city of Bogotá, Colombia, on the dates that appear opposite their respective signatures, ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES The International Organization of the 21 American Republics established by the Charter 63. WAGING PEACE IN THE AMERICAS Address by Secretary Acheson, September 19, 1949 1 I am grateful to the Pan American Society for this welcome opportunity to meet with its distinguished membership and with so many friends from throughout the Western Hemisphere. It is a most appropriate setting in which to discuss the relations within our community of American Republics. There are two reasons in particular why I am glad to be able to discuss this subject tonight. The first is so obvious that we tend to take it for granted. It is that our countries are close neighbors, bound together by a common heritage of struggles for liberty and freedom. The second reason is that the community between our countries presents us with a unique opportunity to press forward toward the positive objectives of our foreign policy. Much of our effort in other parts of the world has had to be devoted to repairing the destruction caused by war and to strengthening the free nations against aggression. We in this hemisphere have fortunately been spared the terrible destruction of war, and we are relatively remote from any direct threat against our independence. The prospects are, therefore, bright that we can continue to work together in an atmosphere of relative peace and stability. We are in a real sense waging peace in the Americas. BASIC PRINCIPLES Before discussing specific policies, it seems well to restate once more the basic principles on which our policy in this hemisphere must rest. They are: Our essential faith in the worth of the individual; the preservation of our way of life without trying to impose it on others; the observance by all governments of ethical standards based on justice and respect for freely accepted international obligations; protection of the legitimate interests of our people and government, together with respect for the legitimate interests of all other peoples and governments; the juridical equality of all the American Republics; nonintervention in the internal or external affairs of any American Republic; the stimulation of private effort as the most important factor in political, economic, and social purposes; freedom of information and the development of free exchanges in all fields; the perfection, with the other American countries, of regional and universal arrangements for maintaining international peace; and the promotion of the economic, social, and political welfare of the people of the American Republics. These men are our guiding principles. A statement of the specific policies which rest on these principles can best be made in conjunction with a review of our long-term objective. 1 Department of State Publication 3647, Inter-American Series, 38. |