The preparatory meetings to build the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) were held between American States deeply concerned about how to maintain peace, after seen the horrible effects of WWI and WWII.
In 1945, the Conference of Chapultepec took place in Mexico. It involved discussions regarding the problems of war and peace. For the first time, the need to create an international system for protecting human rights was raised.
Three years later, the “American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man” was approved; in parallel with the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS Charter).
The purposes of OAS are: Strengthening the peace and security of the continent. Promoting solidarity and the defense of the sovereignty of member States, their territorial integrity and independence.
The OAS has four pillars: democracy, human rights, security and development. And it has created an “inter-American-system” for protecting human rights (ISHR). That system draws its inspiration from the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man. Since the creation of the OAS Member States have adopted other international instruments that also provide the normative basis of the Inter-American body:
• The American Convention on Human Rights of 1969, considered as the vector of the ISHR.
• The two additional protocols to the Convention (on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1988 and the one on the abolition of the death penalty in 1990).
• Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture.
• The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women “Convention of Belém do Pará.”
• The Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons.
• The Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities.