General Conference

XXVI Session of the General Conference of OPANAL (15 November, 2018)

The General Conference is the supreme organ of OPANAL, is composed of all the Contracting Parties, that is to say, all the 33 Latin America and the Caribbean countries; it holds regular meetings every two years and may also hold special sessions whenever the Treaty of Tlatelolco so provides or, in the opinion of the Council, the circumstances so require.

Among the faculties of the General Conference include:

  • Analysis and decision on any matters or questions covered by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, including those referring to powers and functions of any organ provided in the Treaty;
  • Establishing procedures for the Control System to ensure observance of the Treaty of Tlatelolco;
  • Elect the Members of the Council and the Secretary General;
  • May remove the Secretary General from office;
  • Initiate and consider studies designed to facilitate the optimum fulfillment of the aims of the Treaty, without prejudice to the power of the Secretary General;
  • Is the organ competent to authorize the conclusion of agreements with Governments and International Organizations;
  • Adopts the Agency’s budget and fix the scale of financial contributions to be paid by Member States;
  • Elects its officers for each session and may establish such subsidiary organs as it deems necessary;