From the President of the Staff Association
(202) 458-6230- Fax (202) 458-3466
April 29, 2011
SN-75/10-11 Original: English
40th Anniversary of the creation of the Administrative Tribunal of the
Organization of American States
Friday, April 22, 2011, marked the 40th Anniversary of the creation of the Administrative Tribunal of the Organization of American States, which took place at the First Regular Session of the OAS General Assembly in San Jose, Costa Rica, in April, 1971.
In resolving to create the Administrative Tribunal, the General Assembly noted that “The existence of such a tribunal would be an effective means of guaranteeing the observance of the general standards for the operation of the General Secretariat and other provisions relative to the rights and obligations of the staff members.”
In the 1972 Annual Report, then OAS Secretary General Galo Plaza noted that “It [Administrative Tribunal] will undoubtedly serve to strengthen administrative discipline and to ensure justice in employee relations.”
The Administrative Tribunal began to function in 1972, and Jorge Luis Zelaya Coronado, a citizen of Guatemala, was named as its first Secretary. Mr. Zelaya would later go on to serve as Assistant Secretary General of the Organization from 1975 to 1980.