{ "id": "R42639", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R42639", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 579238, "date": "2018-03-14", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T11:06:31.841497", "title": "Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Organization of American States (OAS) is a regional multilateral organization that includes all 35 independent countries of the Western Hemisphere (though Cuba currently does not participate). It was established in 1948 as a forum in which the nations of the hemisphere could engage one another and address issues of mutual concern. Today, the OAS concentrates on four broad objectives: democracy promotion, human rights protection, economic and social development, and regional security cooperation. It carries out a variety of activities to advance these goals, often providing policy guidance and technical assistance to member states. The United States is the largest financial contributor to the OAS, providing an estimated $68 million in FY2017\u2014equivalent to 44% of the organization\u2019s total budget.\nU.S. Policy\nThe United States historically has sought to use the OAS to advance economic, political, and security objectives in the Western Hemisphere. Although OAS actions frequently reflected U.S. policy during the 20th century, this has changed to a certain extent over the past 15 years. The organization\u2019s goals and day-to-day activities are still generally consistent with U.S. policy toward the region, but the U.S. government has struggled to obtain support from other member states on some high-profile issues, such as efforts to address the political crisis in Venezuela. \nAs the OAS\u2019s decisions have begun to reflect the increasing independence of its member states, U.S. policymakers occasionally have expressed concerns about the direction of the organization. In recent years, some Members of Congress have criticized the OAS for failing to address the erosion of democratic institutions in Venezuela and other nations and have questioned whether the United States should continue to fund the organization. Others argue that the OAS remains an important forum for advancing U.S. relations with the other nations of the hemisphere and that U.S. policy should seek to strengthen the organization and make it more effective.\nCongressional Action\nThe 115th Congress has continued to shape U.S. policy toward the OAS through its legislative and oversight activities. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31), provided funding for the U.S. assessed contribution (membership dues) to the OAS, as well as $14.5 million in voluntary contributions to support the organization\u2019s anticorruption, human rights, democracy, and development assistance programs. Congress has yet to conclude action on FY2018 appropriations, but the House and Senate Appropriations Committees both have recommended providing voluntary contributions to the OAS in the reports (H.Rept. 115-253 and S.Rept. 115-152) accompanying their respective FY2018 foreign operations appropriations bills (H.R. 3362, included as Division G of House-passed H.R. 3354, and S. 1780). In November 2017, the Multilateral Aid Review Act of 2017 (S. 1928) was reported in the Senate and a companion bill (H.R. 4502) was introduced in the House. The measures would establish a multilateral review task force to assess the effectiveness of U.S. investments in the OAS and other multilateral institutions.\nCongress also has held hearings to examine U.S. policy toward the OAS. On November 30, 2017, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing to consider President Trump\u2019s nomination of Carlos Trujillo to be the U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS. The committee reported the nomination favorably, but Trujillo has yet to receive a confirmation vote from the full Senate. On February 14, 2018, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, held a hearing on \u201cAdvancing U.S. Interests through the Organization of American States.\u201d", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42639", "sha1": "9e52044ee0a6f3bad03a4406600bf175321e425e", "filename": "files/20180314_R42639_9e52044ee0a6f3bad03a4406600bf175321e425e.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42639", "sha1": "66a2a55a7d68d38f69c6348b886f5f2d26b02300", "filename": "files/20180314_R42639_66a2a55a7d68d38f69c6348b886f5f2d26b02300.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 455249, "date": "2016-08-22", "retrieved": "2016-11-28T21:44:30.830953", "title": "Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Organization of American States (OAS) is the oldest multilateral regional organization in the world. It was founded in 1948 by the United States and 20 Latin American nations to serve as a forum for addressing issues of mutual concern. Over time, the organization expanded to include all 35 independent countries of the Western Hemisphere (though Cuba currently does not participate). The organization\u2019s areas of focus have also shifted over time, evolving in accordance with the priorities of its member states. Today, the OAS concentrates on four broad objectives: democracy promotion, human rights protection, economic and social development, and regional security cooperation. It carries out a wide variety of activities to advance these goals, often providing policy guidance and technical assistance to member states.\nU.S. Policy\nSince the organization\u2019s foundation, the United States has sought to use the OAS to advance critical economic, political, and security objectives in the Western Hemisphere. Although OAS actions frequently reflected U.S. policy during the 20th century, this has changed to a certain extent over the past 15 years as Latin American and Caribbean governments have adopted more independent foreign policies. While the organization\u2019s goals and day-to-day activities are still generally consistent with U.S. policy toward the region, the United States\u2019 ability to advance its policy initiatives within the OAS has declined. Nevertheless, the United States has remained the organization\u2019s largest donor, contributing at least $58.5 million in FY2015\u2014equivalent to nearly 42% of the total 2015 OAS budget.\nAs OAS decisions have begun to reflect the increasing independence of its member states, U.S. policymakers occasionally have expressed concerns about the direction of the organization. In recent years, some Members of Congress have criticized the OAS for failing to address the erosion of democratic institutions in some member states and have argued that the United States should withhold funding until the organization changes. Others maintain that the OAS remains an important forum for advancing U.S. relations with the other nations of the hemisphere and that U.S. policy should seek to strengthen the organization and make it more effective.\nCongressional Action\nCongress plays an important role in shaping U.S. policy toward the OAS. The FY2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-113) provided funding for the U.S. assessed contribution (membership dues) to the organization as well as $6.4 million in voluntary contributions to support democracy and development programs. Congress is now considering FY2017 appropriations measures. The Senate Appropriations Committee\u2019s foreign operations appropriations bill (S. 3117) would provide at least $16.5 million for voluntary contributions to the OAS. According to the report (S.Rept. 114-290) accompanying the bill, S. 3117 would provide $4 million for the OAS Fund for Strengthening Democracy, $1 million for OAS development assistance programs, $7 million for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and $4.5 million for the OAS Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras. The House Appropriations Committee\u2019s foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 5912) does not designate funding levels for the OAS.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42639", "sha1": "32a6d572acfe17bfbdcd2f380d0262e38f37fce3", "filename": "files/20160822_R42639_32a6d572acfe17bfbdcd2f380d0262e38f37fce3.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42639", "sha1": "c440c673507b7a437738ba5fceca48125aea25d0", "filename": "files/20160822_R42639_c440c673507b7a437738ba5fceca48125aea25d0.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 442627, "date": "2015-06-30", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:51:57.562550", "title": "Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Organization of American States (OAS) is the oldest multilateral regional organization in the world. It was founded in 1948 by the United States and 20 Latin American nations to serve as a forum for addressing issues of mutual concern. Over time, the organization expanded to include all 35 independent countries of the Western Hemisphere (though Cuba currently does not participate). The organization\u2019s areas of focus have also shifted over time, evolving in accordance with the priorities of its member states. Today, the OAS concentrates on four broad objectives: democracy promotion, human rights protection, economic and social development, and regional security cooperation. It carries out a wide variety of activities to advance these goals, often providing policy guidance and technical assistance to member states.\nU.S. Policy\nSince the organization\u2019s foundation, the United States has sought to use the OAS to advance critical economic, political, and security objectives in the Western Hemisphere. Although OAS actions frequently reflected U.S. policy during the 20th century, this has changed to a certain extent over the past 15 years as Latin American and Caribbean governments have adopted more independent foreign policies. While the organization\u2019s goals and day-to-day activities are still generally consistent with U.S. policy toward the region, the United States\u2019 ability to advance its policy initiatives within the OAS has declined. Nevertheless, the United States has remained the organization\u2019s largest donor, contributing at least $59.4 million in FY2014\u2014equivalent to nearly 36% of the total 2014 OAS budget.\nAs OAS decisions have begun to reflect the increasing independence of its member states, U.S. policymakers occasionally have expressed concerns about the direction of the organization. Some Members of Congress assert that the OAS, as it currently operates, advances policies that run counter to U.S. interests, and that the United States should withhold funding until the organization changes. Others maintain that the OAS remains an important forum for advancing U.S. relations with the other nations of the hemisphere and that U.S. policy should seek to strengthen the organization and make it more effective.\nCongressional Action\nCongress plays an important role in shaping U.S. policy toward the OAS. The 114th Congress will determine U.S. funding for the organization through the annual State Department and foreign operations appropriations bill, which traditionally provides the assessed contribution (membership dues) of the United States as well as additional funds for specific OAS programs. In terms of oversight, Members of Congress may track the extent to which the OAS is implementing the management and programmatic reforms recommended in the OAS Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-41). They also may examine the direction of the organization under the new Secretary General, Luis Almagro, who took office for a five-year term in May 2015.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42639", "sha1": "a9edc4e65491bdf46aef7afd039b256cb2439112", "filename": "files/20150630_R42639_a9edc4e65491bdf46aef7afd039b256cb2439112.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42639", "sha1": "e1adf6da600574f6bd4a29aa2316c1ab827dddf2", "filename": "files/20150630_R42639_e1adf6da600574f6bd4a29aa2316c1ab827dddf2.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc461983/", "id": "R42639_2014Aug29", "date": "2014-08-29", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "This report covers the background of the Organization of American States (OAS). 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It discusses the importance of U.S. participation in this organization in order to exert authority and shape outcomes in the Western Hemisphere.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140123_R42639_42c6731161dbe6850fa3bdd29e5eb3fece2ea744.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140123_R42639_42c6731161dbe6850fa3bdd29e5eb3fece2ea744.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International agencies", "name": "International agencies" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Organization of American states", "name": "Organization of American states" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc462218/", "id": "R42639_2013Apr08", "date": "2013-04-08", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Organization of American States: Background and Issues for Congress", "summary": "The Organization of American States (OAS) concentrates on four broad objectives: democracy promotion, human rights protection, economic and social development, and regional security cooperation. 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