The General Assembly is the highest deliberatory and impermanent organ of the OAS and is comprised of delegations from all of the member states, which have the right to vote on the adoption of resolutions regarding topics within the General Assembly's sphere of competence. Its function, among others, is to make decisions and further initiatives related to the OAS's stated objective. Please see the OAS website for more information.
With respect to the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the General Assembly has adopted during its ordinary sessions the following resolutions related to indigenous issues:
1. Resolution 1022 (1989), by which the General Assembly solicited the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to prepare a juridical instrument related to the rights of indigenous peoples for adoption in 1992.
2. Resolution 1479 (1997), by which the General Assembly entrusted the Permanent Council with consideration of the Text Approved by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and urged the Inter-American Juridical Committee, the Inter-American Indigenous Institute, and state members to present before the Permanent Council any observations and recommendations they deem pertinent.
3. Resolution 1549 (1998), by which the General Assembly recognized the contributions submitted by OAS and member state internal agencies and entrusted the Permanent Council with the duty to continue considering the draft Declaration.
4. Resolution 1610 (1999), by which the General Assembly created the Working Group in charge of the elaboration of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, under the authority of the Permanent Council, and invited the Working Group to consider the adequate participation of representatives from indigenous communities.
5. Resolution 1708 (2000), by which the General Assembly solicited the Secretary General to facilitate the diffusion of Working Group documents and consider the measures needed to promote a more representative participation of indigenous organizations and communities in the Western Hemisphere.
6. Resolution 1780 (2001), by which the General Assembly recommended that the Permanent Council create a Specific Fund of Voluntary Contributions to support the participation of indigenous representatives in sessions related to the draft Declaration and requested that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and/or other organs and agencies of the OAS provide juridical counseling during this process.
7. Resolution 1851 (2002), by which the General Assembly affirmed that the adoption of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was a priority of the OAS; underlined the importance of indigenous participation in this process; and encouraged the member governments of the OAS to establish mechanisms for national consultations with the representatives of indigenous peoples in order to facilitate the elaboration of the draft declaration.
8. Resolution 1919 (2003), by which the General Assembly recognized the end of the Working Group's consideration of the Text Approved by the Inter-American Commission and directed the Working Group to begin negotiation meetings in the quest for consensus on the basis of the Text and proposals presented by state Members and indigenous representatives.
9. Resolution 2029 (2004), by which the General Assembly requested that the Permanent Council instruct the Working Group to recommend a date for concluding the final stage of negotiations, taking into account the participation of an indigenous representative from each of the member states of the OAS, as designated by the respective indigenous peoples.
10. Resolution 2073 (2005), by which the General Assembly expressed the importance of the final stage of negotiations of the Working Group and asked the Permanent Council to instruct the Working Group to intensify its efforts to convene negotiation meetings in order to facilitate the prompt adoption of the draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.