WASHINGTON, USA – The 55th General Assembly of the OAS will be held from June 25 to 27, 2025 at the American University of Antigua (AUA), in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
This will be the first time that the OAS General Assembly has been held in Antigua and Barbuda.
The General Assembly is the main body of the OAS and is made up of the delegations of all member states, generally headed by the ministers of foreign affairs.
Each member state has the right to cast one vote. Decisions of the Assembly are usually adopted by majority, but in certain cases the rules require a two-thirds vote. The tradition of the OAS is to adopt resolutions by consensus.
The Assembly is in charge of defining the policies and mandates of the OAS, as well as the structure and functions of its bodies.
It is responsible for the election of members of the decentralized and autonomous organizations of the OAS such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court), the Inter-American Juridical Committee, the Justice Center of the Americas, and the Administrative Tribunal, among others.
The 55th Assembly will be the first of the mandate of secretary-general Albert Ramdin. The OAS General Assembly has met annually since 1971. Previously, meetings of this nature had varied intervals and were called International American Conferences.
Since 1971, 23 countries have hosted the regular General Assembly.
The General Assembly schedule has four sessions divided between Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27.
During the Assembly, member states will elect:
– Three members of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights;
– Three members of the Inter-American Juridical Committee;
– One member of the Administrative Tribunal;
– One member of the Audit Committee;
– Two members of the Justice Studies Center of the Americas.
The draft General Assembly calendar can be viewed here. The calendar is subject to change until approved by the General Assembly itself. The calendar also includes activities prior to the start of the General Assembly and parallel activities.
