The Virtual Library of inter-American peace initiatives.

• Position: OAS

The OAS houses the world's largest collection of archives, photographs, maps, commemorative stamps, and records documenting the history of the Organization of American States and its predecessor agencies from 1889 to the present, and it holds one of the richest repositories for material on the inter-American system.

Aware of this invaluable source of information, and recognizing the need to create a tool that would provide global access to researchers, scholars, and academic institutions, as well as the urgent need to safeguard the integrity of aging documents and photographs--particularly with respect to conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts--the Peace Fund conceived the digitalization of this precious collection through the creation of a Virtual Library of Inter-American Peace Initiatives.

The OAS Virtual Library is a unique and comprehensive online resource that spans over two centuries of initiatives aimed at hemispheric integration and peace. Each landmark moment in this regional quest for peace is covered with the pertaining agreements, treaties, speeches, historic photographs, and news clippings, among other relevant documents and materials. It also includes a glossary of peace and conflict-resolution terms of the inter-American system, as well as a "special collections" section, which contains prints, medals, posters, and other...