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OAS: Organization of American States: Finding Books and Documents

OAS Official Documents

OAS official documents published since 2000 (there are a few older items) can be searched on the OAS Document Search interface. Specific types of documents can be found on the following pages:

OAS Columbus Memorial Library

Understanding OAS Document Series

The OAS has a complex system of classification of documents, that includes a common designation (OEA), followed by a subseries (A-Z, with some letters still unassigned), and further by Roman numerals and then Arabic figures.

The series are as follow:

  • OEA/Ser.A: Multilateral Agreements, Conventions, and Treaties
  • OEA/Ser.B: Agreements and Arrangements to Which the OAS Is a Party
  • OEA/Ser.C: Final Acts of Inter-American Conferences and Meetings
  • OEA/Ser.D: Administrative Reports and Documents of the General Secretariat of the OAS (Formerly the Pan American Union) 
  • OEA/Ser.E: Documents, Journals, and Proceedings of the Inter-American Conference (Formerly the International Conference of American States)
  • OEA/Ser.F: Documents, Journals, and Proceedings of the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
  • OEA/Ser.G: Documents of the Permanent Council (Formerly the Council) of the OAS and Its Committees
  • OEA/Ser.H: Documents of the Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES), Its Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIES), Its Other Committees and the Special Committee on Trade (CEC)
  • OEA/Ser.I: Documents and Proceedings of the Inter ·American Council of Jurists (IACJ) and Its Permanent Committee
  • OEA/Ser.J: Documents at the Inter-American Council for Education, Science, and Culture (CIECC), Its Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIECC) and Its Other Committees (Formerly the InterAmerican Cultural Council (CIC) and Its Permanent Committee, the Committee for Cultural Action (CAC) 
  • OEA/Ser.K: Documents of the Inter-American Specialized Conferences and Other Inter-American Conferences and Meetings
  • OEA/Ser.L: Documents of the Inter-American Specialized Organizations, the Inter -American Commission on Human Rights, and the Inter-American Entities
  • OEA/Ser.M: Bilateral and Regional Agreements Deposited at the General Secretariat of the QAS (Formerly the Pan American Union)
  • OEA/Ser.N: Documents, Journals, and Proceedings of the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Continental Peace and Security
  • OEA/Ser.O: Not assigned as of August 1995
  • OEA/Ser.P: Documents, Journals, and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the OAS
  • OEA/Ser.Q: Documents of the Inter-American Juridical Committee 
  • OEA/Ser.R: Documents of the Administrative Tribunal of the OAS
  • OEA/Ser.S: Documents of the Board of External Auditors to Examine the Accounts of the General Secretariat
  • OEA/Ser.T: Documents of Ad Hoc Bodies Established by Organs of the OAS
  • OEA/Ser.U: Documents of the Meetings between the Organization of American States and the United Nations
  • OEA/Ser.V: Not assigned as of August 1995
  • OEA/Ser.W: Documents of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development 
  • OEA/Ser.X: Collections of OAS Official Records
  • OEA/Ser.Y: Guides to the Use of the OAS Official Records Series 
  • OEA/Ser.Z: Indexes of the OAS Official Records Series

For updated information on the series, see Manual for OAS Proofreaders.

For detailed information on the subdivisions of each series, see Official records series of the Organization of American States: guide, outline, and expanded tables. (does not include information on Series N-W)

The Classification manual for the OAS official series, available at the Van Pelt Library in both Spanish and English, might also be useful.

Official Documents and Reports

Leo Stanton Rowe in 1917.jpg

Wikipedia: Leo Stanton Rowe, Professor of Poltical Science, U. Pennsylvania, 1896-1917; Director General, Pan-American Union, 1920-1946.

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