Editorial.

• Author: Insulza, Jose Miguel
• Position: Organization of American States - Editorial

The 42nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), the annual gathering of foreign ministers, will take place in the historic city of Cochabamba, Bolivia June 3-5, 2012.

The General Assembly will include several unique features as well as a number of fundamental elements found in each of these meetings. First, the fundamentals. The General Assembly is the highest-level decision-making body for the OAS. During the year, a full range of initiatives and proposals are put forward by the member states. At the General Assembly, these proposals, in the form of resolutions, are discussed, modified, and either approved or rejected. Those accepted become the mandates or instructions to the OAS General Secretariat and its related entities for the coming year. The General Assembly also includes opportunities for dialogue on the important issues of the moment among the senior members of the country delegations. A final element of the fundamental structure of the General Assembly is the opportunity for representatives of the 60-plus observer countries of the OAS, officials of international organizations, and individuals from civil society to express their opinions and participate in General Assembly events.

The unique features of this General Assembly will be the in-depth treatment of the theme "Food Security with Sovereignty in the Americas," the Assembly's proximity to the recent Summit of the Americas, and the venue. The food security theme is closely tied to the OAS commitment to promoting integral development through a range of...