Investment Construction Development: OAS Scholarship Program: 50.

• Author: Lobato, Andrea
• Position: Organization of American States

Since its creation in 1948, the OAS Program for Cooperation and Technical Assistance has made it possible for the region to access the benefits of technological progress made in industrialized countries. In the late 1950s two forms of cooperation were created: academic training centers in specialized fields, and the transfer of knowledge through technological services, advisory services, and research.

In 1956, during the First Inter-American Meeting of Heads of State in Panama, country representatives decided to strengthen OAS technical cooperation programs by identifying and formulating project proposals that could be presented to international financial organizations. From the beginning, the mission has been to design and implement programs and policies to promote the development of human potential and regional integration by reinforcing higher education with the view towards gaining greater access to knowledge through the development of competencies and capacities to improve living standards of the citizens of the Americas, their families, and their communities.

The training and scholarship programs offered by the Organization are important instruments that complement member states' efforts to respond to their highest priority needs in the area of professional education. They help countries meet their development goals and they offer access to quality higher education to citizens from all member states.

The OAS Fellowship Program, now called the Regular Training Program (RTP) was begun in 1958 as the Organization's first assistance program and has gradually expanded its sphere of action to incorporate new actors. It now funds study activities and programs in the Americas and abroad with a network of more than 140 universities in 21 countries.

The program is constantly using new technologies to reach students and provide them with the best educational opportunities. So far the OAS has been able to provide opportunities to more than 100,000 professionals from the hemisphere in a wide range of educational areas and specialties. Beneficiaries have included artists, architects, builders, politicians, attorneys, teachers, doctors, and engineers, among others. Since the approval of the Charter of the Organization of American States, countries have been encouraged to incorporate cutting edge technology and communications methods to support the ongoing development and specialization of citizens. That is how the OAS Scholarship and Training Programs have supported efforts to develop professionals in the Americas, forging leaders who have been part of key changes and transformations on the continent.

This article shares just a few examples of the many success stories launched by OAS scholarships--stories of professionals who have used their opportunities to have a significant impact on their countries and...