Briefings and Tours

OAS briefings are offered to diplomats, government officials, military officers, university faculty, policy analysts and students, as well as to the general public. The briefings are given by the Director of the Department of External Relations, Irene Klinger, and senior specialists from the various departments of the organization. Briefings are tailored to the specific interests of the visiting groups, covering political, social, legal and economic issues in the Americas as well as the work of the organization. These briefings include tours of the facilities and an historical overview of the organization. For more information on OAS briefings, please contact Irene Klinger, Director, Department of External Relations at (202) 458-6072 or iklinger@oas.org

Tour Information

List of Briefings - September-October 2007

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OCTOBER 31, 2007	On October 31, 12 senior undergraduates from Ohio State University attending the Washington Academic Internship Program visited the OAS historic headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization. Nelly Robinson, Program Coordinator for MOAS briefed the students on the OAS Model Assembly.
OCTOBER 30, 2007	On October 30, 32 students studying international relations at the Université Laval of Canada visited the OAS historic headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Ambassador Graeme Clark, Permanent Representative of the Mission of Canada to the OAS addressed the students. A specialized briefing was given by Maryse Robert, Section Specialist, Department of Trade, Tourism and Competitiveness. Nelly Robinson, Program Coordinator for MOAS briefed the students on the OAS Model Assembly.
OCTOBER 30, 2007	On October 30, 37 6th graders from the Woods Academy, Bethesda, Maryland, visited the OAS historic headquarters. Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations gave them a tour of the OAS Main Building. Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin greeted the students and held a question and answer session with them in his office. The program also included a walk through the underground painted tunnel with the theme "Roots of Peace" by Uruguayan Artist Carlos Páez Vilaró and a visit to the Art Museum of the Americas where Maria Leyva, Curator of Collections gave them a tour of the current photo exposition, IMAGING/ IMAGINANDO of Guatemala.
OCTOBER 26, 2007	On October 26, 45 undergraduate students from McGill University visited the OAS historic headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Ambassador Graeme Clark, Permanent Representative, Mission of Canada to the OAS, addressed the group on the OAS and spoke on his experience with multilateral diplomacy. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization. Mario Lopez, Senior Specialist, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, spoke about human rights in the region.
OCTOBER 22, 2007	On October 22, 12 MBA students from Puebla, Mexico with the Washington Center for Internships visited the OAS headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Yadira Soto, Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary General gave an OAS overview.
OCTOBER 17, 2007	On October 17, 60 students from ITESM visited the Historic OAS headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Maria Claudia Camacho, Specialist, Department of Social Development and Labor, gave a specialized briefing to the group. Alicia Kerber, Permanent Alternate Representative, Mission of Mexico to the OAS, spoke about the work of the Mission at the OAS headquarters.
OCTOBER 16, 2007	On October 16, 6 representatives from the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic visited the OAS.  Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations conducted a tour of the Historic Main Building. Ambassador Roberto Alvarez, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic and Mayerlyn Cordero, Minister Counselor met and spoke with the delegates. Pablo Zuñiga, Principal Specialist, Department of Modernization of the State & Good Governance, Secretariat for Political Affairs discussed the work of his department on promoting democracy.
OCTOBER 10, 2007	On October 10, 9 international Paraguayan Legislators visited the OAS headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization. Carla Poletti, Alternate Representative, Mission of Paraguay to the OAS also addressed the representatives.
OCTOBER 9, 2007	On October 9, 19 students and 2 professors from the “Universidad del Valle de México” visited the Historic OAS headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization.
OCTOBER 8, 2007	The OAS was invited to honor and celebrate the achievements of Christopher Columbus with a national wreath laying ceremony on Columbus Day. Jane Thery of the OAS Department of International Affairs represented the Organization by joining  the commemoration in which embassies and the general public laid wreaths at the base of the Columbus Memorial Statue located at Union Station. Speech by the OAS Representative
OCTOBER 2, 2007	On October 2, 34 students studying International Business and Trade at American University visited OAS headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization.
OCTOBER 1, 2007	On October 1, 12 interns from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) visited the OAS headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Irene Klinger, Director, Department of External Relations, gave an overview of the Organization.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2007	On September 28, 12 students from The National Collegiate Security Conference, Model United Nations conference organized by Georgetown University, visited the Historic OAS headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2007	On September 27, 68 OAS interns received a tour of the historic building from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations, and a briefing and welcome by Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, Department of External Relations. The program also included a walk through the underground painted tunnel with the theme "Roots of Peace" by Uruguayan Artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. At the Administrative building, the interns received a briefing by Beverly Wharton Lake, Director, and Stella Villagran, Reference Library Specialist, at the Columbus Memorial Library. The Interns finalized the morning with a tour of the Art Museum of the Americas given by Maria Leyva, Curator of Collections, Art Museum of the Americas.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2007	On September 24, 20 Latin American students from The Washington Center for Internships visited the OAS headquarters. The group received a tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations, gave an overview of the Organization. Maria del Mar Zavala, Legal Specialist, Sustainable Development, also gave the group a specialized briefing.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2007	On September 21, 46 students from American University visited the historic OAS headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Ambassador Alberto R. Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, met with the students and gave them an overview of the Organization. Steven Griner, Senior Specialist, Department of Electoral Observation and Co-operation, Secretariat for Political Affairs, gave the group a specialized briefing on Democracy.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2007	On September 18, 32 students of International Business and Trade from American University visited the OAS Headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Jane Thery, Chief, Institutional Relations gave an overview of the Organization and discussed policy issues in the Americas.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2007	On September 12, 25 members of Women In Business (WIB) from San Diego, California visited the OAS Headquarters. The group received a tour of the Historic Main Building from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Irene Klinger, Director, Department of External Relations gave an Overview on the Organization. Pablo Zúñiga, Senior Specialist, Secretariat for Political Affairs, spoke about democratic participation. Their visit included a tour of the Art Museum of the Americas with Maria Leyva, Curator of Collections, Art Museum of the Americas.
SEPTEMBER 10, 2007	On September 10, 12 law students from American University and 19 law students from the University of Suriname visited the OAS Headquarters. The group received an OAS tour from Aline Hommes, Specialist, Department of External Relations. Ambassador Alberto R. Ramdin, Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, met with the students and gave them an overview of the Organization. John Wilson, Legal Advisor, Department of International Law, also briefed the group on international law in the Hemisphere.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2007	On September 7, 85 military officers from “La Escuela de Guerra de Colombia” visited the OAS Headquarters. Counselor J.J. Quintana, Embassy of Colombia to the White House,  welcomed the group. Ambassador Camilo Ospina, Permanent Representative from Colombia to the OAS, gave a briefing on the work of the OAS and the challenges of their work. Irene Klinger, Director, Department of External Relations, gave the group an overview on the Organization. Bautista Logioco, Specialist, Department of Crisis Prevention and Special Missions, discussed the promotion of democracy in the region. Ambassador Alexandre Addor-Neto, Under Secretary, Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, discussed multidimensional security in the Americas. Veronica Gómez, Specialist, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, gave a specialized briefing on human rights.