The Organization of American States (OAS) is considered by many to be the oldest regional institution in the world. A successor to the International Union of American Republic, established in 1890, it was formally created in 1948 on the occasion of the Ninth International Conference of American States, held in Bogota, Colombia. The constituent document of the inter‐American system, the Charter of the Organization of American States, identified the main organs of the OAS as being the Inter‐American Conference, later replaced by the General Assembly, the Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the OAS Council (now Permanent Council), the General Secretariat, and the Inter‐American Economic and Social Council (now Inter‐American Council on Integral Development) (Connell‐Smith 1974: 202). Membership includes all countries of the Hemisphere, but the government of Cuba was excluded from participation in OAS activities in 1962 by a majority vote.