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The Organization
of American States is a regional agency of the United Nations.
On April 30, 1948, 21 nations of the hemisphere met in Bogotá,
Colombia, to adopt the Charter of the Organization of American States
(OAS), which affirmed their commitment to common goals and respect
for each nation's sovereignty. Since then, the OAS has expanded
to include the nations of the Caribbean, as well as Canada.
The Organization of American States (OAS) accepted the NCWC as a
participating Non-Governmental Organization in 2001. At present,
NCWC is in correspondence with Carmen Lomellin, the Executive Secretary
of the Inter-American Commission of Women (known by its Spanish
acronym CIM). NCWC is supporting the efforts of CIM to ensure that
in the deliberations and plans for action undertaken by the OAS,
the gender perspective will be incorporated and used.
The Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women's Human Rights
and Gender Equity and Equality was endorsed in April 2001 by the
hemisphere's presidents and prime ministers at the Third Summit
of the Americas. The program calls on governments to strengthen
national institutions responsible for women's development, adopt
public policies aimed at promoting fairness, bring national legal
institutions in line with international conventions, and improve
women's access to justice, among other steps.
The OAS and other multilateral organizations, for their part, are
asked to incorporate a gender perspective throughout the inter-American
system, ensure greater participation of women in decision-making,
and strengthen the Inter-American Commission of Women. The program
also urges civil society organizations to work closely on women's
rights issues with government agencies, conduct research on the
status of women, and examine ways to promote the rights of girls
and women in schools.
The Inter-American Program was developed by the CIM and fine-tuned
in April 2000, at the first-ever ministerial-level meeting of ministers
and other top government officials who formulate policies on the
advancement of women. The OAS General Assembly adopted the Inter-American
Program in June 2000 in Windsor, Canada.
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