RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE INTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I.	THE DIRECTING COUNCIL
Chapter I.	Agenda	Articles 1- 3
Chapter II.	Convening procedure	Articles 4- 5
Chapter III.	Participants	Articles 6-11
Chapter IV	Sessions	Articles 12-16
Chapter V	Officers	Articles 17-19
Chapter VI	Debate	Articles 20-26
Chapter VII	Voting	Articles 27-36
Chapter VIII	Elections	Articles 37-38
Chapter IX	Minutes and Final Report	Article 39

PART II.	MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Chapter X.	The Pan American Congress on Children	Article 40
Chapter XI.	Amendments and Unforeseen Situations	Articles 41-43

Article 1 Preparation and Distribution of the Draft Agendas of Regular Meetings.

1.1 The Director General of the Institute (the Director General), with the agreement of the President of the Directing Council (the Council), shall prepare the draft agenda for each Regular Meeting and its sessions.

b. Any matter proposed by the President of the Council or by the Director General.

1.3 The proposed inclusion of any matter in the draft or final agenda shall be supported by a working document that will serve as a basis for discussion.

1.4 The Director General shall forward the draft agenda to the member states and to the OAS Permanent Council at least 45 days in advance of the meeting.

1.5 The Director General shall promptly make available to all member states the comments or additional proposals which are submitted by any other member states at least 21 days in advance of the meeting, and those comments and proposals shall be presented for the Council’s consideration in a session prior to the adoption of the Final Agenda.

2.1 The draft agenda of each meeting shall be submitted for the consideration of the Directing Council at its first Plenary Session and its adoption will require the majority vote of the member states. Prior to its adoption, the Council shall consider the observations made by the OAS Permanent Council and the comments and proposals received in accordance with Article 1.5 in these Rules of Procedure, as well as any other relevant observations. Once the final agenda has been adopted, only urgent or important matters may be included, subject to the approval of the majority of the member states.

3.1 The draft agenda of a Special Meeting of the Directing Council shall be confined to the subject or subjects for which it was convoked. Like the draft agendas for regular meetings, the agendas for Special Meetings shall be presented to the OAS Permanent Council for comments, which shall be considered by the Directing Council prior to the adoption of the final agenda. The inclusion of any other matter shall require the consent of the majority of the member states.

4.1 In accordance with the date and place determined by the Directing Council at a prior meeting, the Director General shall convene the member states and Permanent Observers to a regular meeting at least 45 days in advance, and shall simultaneously send to them the draft agenda of the meeting.

Article 5 Convening of Special Meetings.

5.1 A request to hold a Special Meeting presented by one or more member states must be addressed to the Director General, who shall consult with the President.

5.2 If the request for convening a Special Meeting of the Council is submitted and approved at a meeting of the Council, the Council will also decide during that meeting on the date and place of the Meeting.

5.3 If the request is received when the Council is not in session, the Director General shall include it in the agenda of the next Regular Meeting of the Council. Nevertheless, if the member states requesting the Special Meeting wish to hold it prior to the next regular meeting of the Council, they may resort to voting by correspondence as provided for in Article 36 in these Rules of Procedure.

5.4 Once the request is approved, the Director General shall forward the convening notice and the draft agenda to the member states and the Permanent Council according to the date and place fixed by the Council in its decision approving the convening request. If no specific deadline is established for sending notice in the Council's decision approving the meeting,, the Director General shall forward the convening notice 30 days in advance of the meeting date.

6.1 The delegates of the member states and the Permanent Observers shall be accredited by their respective governments by means of a communication addressed to the Director General. Those accreditations and credentials must be in writing and signed by, or on behalf of, the Head of State, Head of Government, Minister of Foreign Affairs or the relevant Minister or authority in each country.

6.2 The credentials of the delegates of the member states shall grant them full powers to participate in decision-making on the matters included in the agenda of the meetings to which they have been accredited.

6.3 The Director General, in his/her capacity as Secretary of the meeting, shall review and verify the credentials of the delegates and make them available to any member state upon request.

7.1 At each meeting, the order of precedence of member states shall be determined beginning with the name of the member state whose delegate holds the position of President of the Council. To this end, the alphabetical order of the names of member states in Spanish shall be followed.

7.2 Whenever it is necessary to order the participation of Permanent Observers, the order of precedence shall follow the alphabetical order beginning with a Permanent Observer selected by lot by the President.

8.1 The Director General shall inform the OAS Permanent Council and General Secretariat of the accreditations received from Permanent Observers.

8.2 The accredited representatives of the Permanent Observers may participate in public plenary sessions and commissions and may speak, subject to the decision of the President. Also, upon the invitation of the President, they may attend and speak at the private sessions of the Council, its Commissions and its Working Groups.

9.1 The Director General shall timely invite the Secretary General of the OAS to participate in the meeting and shall send to him/her the draft agenda, together with the working documents.

9.2 The Secretary General of the OAS or his representative, as well as the accredited representatives of the various OAS Organs. may participate with the right to speak but not to vote.

10.1 Pursuant to Article 7 in the Statute, children less than 18 years old from all member states, in the full exercise of their rights, may , through their representatives, become members of the official delegations of the member states to the Directing Council and Pan American Congress on Children, so that they may be heard on all matters concerning them and advise their respective delegations accordingly.

10.2 Member states shall, to the extent feasible, seek to facilitate the participation of children in the Institute, so that those children can provide the Council with a new and constantly updated view of the reality of children in the region, and so that those children will be directly informed of the Institute’s policies, programs and actions.

10.3 When they return to their countries, the representatives of children who are members of the official delegations shall share their experience with diverse groups of children.

11.1 The Director General may invite other participants listed in Article 7(a) of the Statute to participate in the meetings of the Council. The Director General shall timely send to the member states the list of entities and individuals to be invited, in accordance with Article 7(a) of the Statute. If no objections are made within 30 days prior to the meeting, the Director General shall be authorized to extend such invitations by correspondence or electronic means.

11.2 Participants specified under Article 7(a) of the Statute may speak at public plenary sessions and in commissions established by the Council, upon the invitation of the President and provided no delegate of a member state objects.

12.1 In accordance with the approved agenda, Plenary Sessions shall be devoted to developing matters for the Council’s approval, discussing general matters of interest, and considering and approving the reports of the various commissions and working groups. Final decisions shall be taken at Plenary Sessions in accordance with the voting rules established in Article 15 in the Statute and the pertinent Articles of these Rules of Procedure.

12.2 Plenary Sessions (the Plenary) may create as many commissions and working groups as deemed necessary, assign them the different matters included in the agenda, coordinate their work, monitor their development and formulate any relevant recommendation on their performance. In each case the Plenary shall determine the duration of the mandate of each commission or working group, which may keep working even after the closing of the meeting that created them.

12.3 All member states, represented by their accredited delegates and alternate delegates, may participate in the commissions and working groups. Nevertheless, for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum, only one member of each delegation formally inscribed in the commission or working group shall be counted..

12.4 Pursuant to its mandate, each commission or working group shall decide on its own method of work and shall appoint one Moderator and one Rapporteur in order to ensure the efficiency of sessions.

12.5 Each commission or working group shall submit a report to the Plenary on the assigned topics and the corresponding conclusions.

12.6 Commissions and working groups may create as many working subgroups as deemed necessary for the consideration of the assigned topics. Efforts shall be made for representing the various approaches stated on each issue. Each working subgroup shall decide on its own working methodology and organization.

a. Public, attended by the delegates of the member states, the Permanent Observers, other guests, the media, and the general public, or

b. Private, only attended by the delegates of the member states and the required staff of the Institute’s Secretariat.

13.2 The Plenary Sessions of the Council (the Plenary), and the sessions of commissions and of the working groups shall be public, unless they otherwise decide.. Any delegate may request that a public session or any part of a public session be declared a private session. In that case, the proposal shall be submitted for the consideration of the Council or the respective commission or working group and approved by the majority of the member states present.

14.1 During its first Plenary Session the Council shall: adopt the agenda; create the commissions and working groups with their respective agendas; decide on the deadline for submitting draft resolutions, and determine the approximate duration of the meeting.

15.1 The Council may hold a formal inaugural session, either before or after the first Plenary Session provided for in Article 14 in these Rules of Procedure. Likewise, it may hold a closing session and other Plenary Sessions in order to facilitate the distribution and organization of its work.

16.1 Pursuant to Article 14 in the Statute, the required quorum to start and continue a Plenary Session is one third of the member states.

16.2 The required quorum to start and continue the sessions of commissions, working groups or subgroups is one third of the member states inscribed, unless otherwise established by such commissions, working groups or subgroups.

17.1 The term of office of the President and Vice President shall be two years, as provided for in Article 17 in the Statute.

17.2 The positions of President and Vice President, as the case may be, shall remain vacant when the elected delegates do not represent their respective countries any longer or when, for any other reason, are unable to perform their functions.

17.3 If the position of President is temporarily vacant, it shall be filled by the Vice President, and if the position of the Vice President is temporarily vacant, it shall be filled by the principal representative of the country following the country of the Vice President in the order of precedence.

17.4 If the position of President remains permanently vacant and there is still at least one full regular meeting to preside over during that President’s term of office, the Directing Council shall elect a substitute to complete that term. Otherwise, the Vice President shall complete the term and the principal representative of the country following the country of the Vice President in the order of precedence shall fill the position of Vice President.

17.5 If the position of Vice President becomes vacant permanently and there is still at least one full regular meeting remaining for that Vice President’s term of office, the Directing Council shall elect a substitute to complete the term. Otherwise, the principal representative of the Vice President in the order of precedence shall hold such position.

a. To determine, in consultation with the Director General, the time for beginning the sessions, the meeting facilities where the sessions will take place, , and the draft order of business;

b. To preside over the sessions and submit for the consideration of the Council the items included in the order of business;

c. To recognize the representatives in the same order as the floor was requested;

d. To call to order any representative who fails to adhere to the subject under discussion;

f. To put to vote those matters in debate requiring a decision and to announce the outcome to be recorded in the minutes;

h. To enforce the provisions contained in these Rules of Procedure and to propose whatever additional measures are deemed pertinent to improve the progress of the work, and

18.2 The function of the Vice President is to perform the functions of the President whenever the President is unable to do so.

19.1 The Director General shall serve as the Secretary of the Council and Rapporteur of its meetings.

19.2 The Council may appoint additional officers to perform specific functions as needed and shall determine the nature of such functions and the duration of the mandates of the appointed officers.

19.3 When electing its officers, the Council shall observe, insofar as possible, the principles of rotation and equitable geographic representation.

20.1 No one may speak until recognized. The President shall grant the floor in the order in which it is requested.

20.2 The chair may call to order any delegate whose remarks depart from the subject under discussion.

20.3 Statements by members of the Directing Council and officials participating in its meetings shall, in each case, be limited to 10 minutes, unless the Council considers that a prudent extension of the time period is necessary. The President shall adopt the measures he or she considers advisable to comply with this provision.

20.4 When they see fit, subregional groups may express their positions through their coordinators or any spokespersons they may select.

21.1 During the discussion of a matter, any delegate may raise a point of order regarding the application of these Rules of Procedure, which shall be decided upon immediately by the President. When raising a point of order, a delegate may not go into the substance of the matter under discussion. The decision of the President may be appealed to the Directing Council or the committee in question, as the case may be. The appeal shall be put to a vote immediately and shall be declared approved if favored by a two-thirds vote of the members present.

Article 22 Suspension of Debate.

22.1 The President or any delegate may request that debate be suspended. Only two delegates may speak in favor of, and two against, a motion to suspend the debate. It shall then be put to a vote immediately and shall be declared approved if favored by a two-thirds vote of the members present.

Article 23 Closing of Debate.

23.1 The President or any delegate, when he or she considers that a matter has been sufficiently discussed, may propose that the debate be private. This motion may be opposed by two delegates and shall be declared approved if favored by a two-thirds vote of the members present.

Article 24 Suspension or Adjournment of the Meeting.

24.1 During any debate, the President or any delegate may propose that the meeting be suspended or adjourned. Such a motion shall be put to a vote immediately without discussion, and it shall be declared approved if favored by a two-thirds vote of the members present.

Article 25 Order of Precedence of Procedural Motions.

25.1 Except as provided for in Article 22 in these Rules of Procedure, the following motions shall have precedence over all other proposals or motions, in the order set forth below:

Article 26 Reconsideration of Decisions.

26.1 Reconsideration of a decision taken by the Directing Council shall require the approval of the corresponding motion by a two-thirds vote of the delegates of the member states.

CHAPTER VII
VOTING

Article 28 Quorum for Decision-making by Voting or Consensus.

28.1 As provided for in Article 14 of the Statute, the required quorum for decision-making by voting or consensus shall be the majority of the member states.

28.2 The quorum for decision-making by voting or consensus in commissions, and working groups and subgroups, shall be the majority of members inscribed.

a. Those decisions approving, affecting, or modifying the Strategic Plan, the Program-Budget, or the Statute, shall require a vote of a majority of the member states;

b. Decisions on procedural matters, on the adjournment or suspension of the session, on the approval or amendment of the agenda once adopted, on a new consideration of issues already decided upon in the meeting, on closing the debate, and on raising a point of order, will be taken by the number of votes specified in these Rules of Procedure for each case; and

c. Any other decision, including the election of the President and Vice President of the Directing Council and the nomination of the three candidates for the position of Director General, shall require the vote of the majority of the member states present at the time of voting, provided the quorum requirement is satisfied.

29.2 In commissions and working groups and subgroups decisions shall be taken by the majority of the member states present, provided the quorum requirement for decision-making established Article 28.2 is satisfied.

29.3 For the purpose of these Rules of Procedure, the term “majority of member states” means the majority of states that are members of the Institute; the term “majority of present member states” means the majority of member states that are present in the meeting room or –in the case of at-distance meetings—the majority of the number of states marking their votes or stating their will to abstain at the time of recording the votes by electronic means.

Article 30 Show of Hands, Roll-call and Secret Voting.

30.1 Votes shall be taken by a show of hands. Nevertheless, any representative may request a roll-call vote, which shall take place by order of precedence. In at-distance meetings, when there is no screen available for the delegations to see the actual show of hands, the vote shall be by roll call.

30.2 In roll-call votes, the name of each member state shall be called and the representative shall cast his or her vote in favor, in opposition, or of abstention.

30.3 Votes shall be by secret ballot only in the case of elections, as provided for in Article 37 in these Rules of Procedure. If it is so agreed, the Council may adopt a different procedure. The President shall appoint two delegates to scrutinize the votes for each secret vote.

Article 31 Voting on Draft Resolutions.

31.1 After debate is closed, draft resolutions, including suggested amendments, shall be put to vote. After the President has announced the start of the voting, no delegate shall interrupt it, except for a point of order relating to the manner in which the voting is being conducted.

31.2 Draft resolutions shall be put to vote in the same order as they were submitted, except as otherwise decided by the Directing Council with the vote of two thirds of the members present.

31.3 The process of voting and vote-counting process shall end once the President announces the result.

Article 32 Voting of Amendments.

32.1 Amendments shall be submitted for discussion and put to a vote before the voting on the proposal they are intended to modify. A proposal that would totally replace the original proposal, or that is not directly related to it, shall not be considered as an amendment.

32.2 When several amendments to a proposal are presented, the vote shall be taken first on the one that departs furthest from the original text. The other amendments shall be voted upon in like order. In case of doubt in this regard, they shall be voted upon in the order of their presentation.

32.3 When the fact that one amendment has been adopted necessarily implies the exclusion of another, the latter shall not be put to a vote. If one or more amendments are adopted, the complete proposal as amended shall be put to a vote.

Article 33 Voting by Parts.

33.1 Any representative may request that the parts of a proposal or an amendment be put to a vote separately, and must specifically indicate the parts involved. If any representative opposes such a request, the motion to deny it shall be put to a vote and a two-thirds majority of the members present shall be required for approval. Only two delegates may speak in favor of, and two against, a request for voting by parts. When voting by parts is accepted, the parts of the proposal or amendment thus approved must be put to a final vote as a whole. If all the operative parts of a proposal or amendment have been rejected, it shall be considered to have been rejected as a whole. Voting by parts does not exclude a vote on the totality of the proposal.

Article 34 Explanation of Vote and Statements.

34.1 After the voting have ended, and except when it has been by secret ballot, any delegate may request the floor to explain his or her vote. The explanation shall be recorded in the corresponding minutes.

35.1 Without prejudice to the preceding provisions, the Directing Council may also take decisions by consensus.

35.2 The adoption of decisions by consensus does not curtail the right of delegations to express their views and request that they be placed on record.

36.1 When the Directing Council is meeting, it may decide, in accordance with Article 16 of the Statute, to vote on a matter by correspondence at a later date. In that case, the Director General shall complete the process within the Period specified by the Council in its decision to vote by correspondence. If, however, the Council has not specified a date certain in its decision, the Director General shall initiate the process within sixty days following the close of the meeting in which the decision was taken.

36.2 When the Council is not holding a meeting any member state may submit to the President a written request for taking a decision by correspondence. Upon receipt of the request, the President shall instruct the Director General to send to the member states the proposal, together with any pertinent working documents, within the next thirty days. If within thirty days thereafter, a majority of the member states respond and a majority of those respondents are in favor of the proposal, the Director General shall initiate the voting by correspondence process within the following sixty days.

36.3 To initiate the voting process, the Director General shall forward to each member state a copy of the pertinent draft resolution and a ballot, together with the relevant working documents. The member states shall respond within thirty days after these documents are sent.

36.4 The entire process of transmitting the ballot and documents and voting may be carried out by electronic mail or other similar means, subject to the availability of reasonable measures ensuring the authenticity of responses and ballots and that the person voting is authorized to do so.

36.5 After receiving the ballots the Director General shall count and certify them and inform the member states the outcome. The Director General shall make the ballots available for inspection by any member state and shall keep them on file at the Institute for up to two years after the voting.

36.6 The provisions on the majority required for voting by correspondence shall adjust to those provided for in Article 15 in the Statute and these Rules of Procedure. For purposes of determining whether there is a quorum, the number of responses or ballots received shall be considered the number of countries present.

36.7 In order to ensure transparency in the process, voting by correspondence may not be secret.

37.1 Elections shall be by secret ballot, except when they are by acclamation, by correspondence, or in at-distance meetings.

37.2 In cases where only one member state or one person is to be elected, if no candidate obtains the vote of a majority of the member states present on the first ballot, a second and, if necessary, a third ballot shall be taken, limited to the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes. If after the third ballot no candidate has obtained the required majority, the election shall be suspended for the period of time determined by the Plenary, or if applicable, the committee or working group concerned. When the election is resumed, two additional ballots shall be taken. If neither of the two candidates is elected, the balloting procedure established in this article shall be started again at the time indicated by the Plenary, with respect to the candidates who are presented.

37.3 When two or more elective posts are to be filled at the same time and under the same conditions, the candidates obtaining the majority vote of member states present shall be declared elected. If the number of candidates obtaining such majority is fewer than the number of persons or members to be elected, there shall be additional ballots to fill the remaining posts, the voting being limited to the candidates, who have received the most votes on the previous ballot, in such a way that the number of candidates will not be more than twice the number of posts remaining to be filled.