The Organization of American States (OAS), founded in 1948, is composed of all 35 independent states in the Americas, and holds itself to be "the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the [Western] Hemisphere." The Organization's home page is linked above; below are links to various resources provided by the Organization that may be of interest to researchers of International Law issues in the Americas:
OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter
OAS Permanent Council: Resolutions and Declarations
OAS Secretariat for Legal Affairs:
Department of International Law
Department of Legal Cooperation
Hemispheric Network for Legal Cooperation on Criminal Matters
Inter-American Cooperation Portal on Cyber-Crime
Many other international and intergovernmental organizations of American states exist to promote international cooperation in various political, social, trade and other activities. A selection of such bodies appear below; others may be found using Internet search engines or by reference in other sources:
Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (ALBA)
Association of Carribean States (ACS-AEC)
Central American Integration System
Mercado ComĂșn del Sur (Mercosur)