The Organization of American States, whose origin dates from the First International Conference of American States, held at Washington in 1889-90, is based on the Charter signed April 30, 1948, at the Ninth International Conference of American States, meeting in Bogotá.

Twenty-one American States are members of the Organization-Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The Organization has been developed to achieve an order of peace and justice, to promote the solidarity of the American States, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence. Within the United Nations, the Organization constitutes a regional agency.

The General Secretariat of the Organization, and its permanent central organ, is the Pan American Union, founded at the First Conference on April 14, 1890. April 14 is celebrated throughout the Americas as Pan American Day. The scope of Pan American Union activities was expanded by resolutions adopted at succeeding Conferences. The Union has gradually broadened its activities in every field of international cooperation, and its technical and information offices render ever greater service to the governments and peoples of the hemisphere. It has the responsibility of furthering, through these offices and under the direction of the Council of the Organization, economic, social, juridical, and cultural relations among all the American States.

The offices of the Pan American Union are grouped in five Departments: a) Department of International Law and Organization; b) Department of Economic and Social Affairs; c) Department of Cultural Affairs; d) Department of Public Information; and e) Department of Administrative Services. Their directors are appointed by the Secretary General. The directors of the first three Departments are the Executive Secretaries of the Inter-American Economic and Social Council, the Inter-American Council of Jurists, and the Inter-American Cultural Council, respectively. The Assistant Secretary General is the secretary of the Council of the Organization. The Council of the Organization, which has its seat at the Pan American Union, is composed of one representative for each Member State of the

WILLIAM MANGER, Assistant Secretary General

Organization; he is appointed by the respective government, with rank of Ambassador. În discussions each State has one vote. Decisions of the Council are taken by a simple majority or, in certain cases, by a two-thirds vote. The Council takes cognizance, within the limits of the Charter and inter-American treaties and agreements, of matters referred to it by the InterAmerican Conferences or the Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. It is also a provisional Organ of Consultation for the purposes of the Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, and has special functions in the peaceful solution of controversies between American States, in accordance with the Pact of Bogotá on this subject. In addition, the Council is responsible for the proper performance of the duties assigned to the Pan American Union, and elects the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General of the Organization.

The Council takes action itself or acts through its technical Organs to further cooperation in various fields of activity. These Organs are: The Inter-American Economic and Social Council, the Inter-American Council of Jurists, and the Inter-American Cultural Council. The first functions permanently at the Pan American Union, and the two latter meet periodically at places chosen by themselves.

The Member States contribute to the maintenance of the Union by means of annual quotas on bases determined by the Council of the Organization, taking into account each country's ability to pay and its determination to contribute equitably. The budget is approved by the Council.

The Pan American Union is also the permanent General Secretariat of the Inter-American Conferences, the Meetings of Consultation of Foreign Ministers, and the Specialized Conferences. It acts as adviser to the Council of the Organization and its Organs in the preparation of programs and regulations for these meetings, offers technical assistance and necessary personnel to the governments of the countries in which they are held, acts as custodian of documents and archives of the Conferences, serves as depository of instruments of ratification of inter-American agreements, and submits reports to the Council and to the Inter-American Conferences on work accomplished by the various Organs, and in general on the activities of the Organization. The Secretary General participates in all the InterAmerican Conferences and in meetings of the Council and of its Organs.