MOAS HISTORY

The Model OAS General Assembly (MOAS) Program began in 1980 as a joint project between the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) and Georgetown University (thanks to an initiative of Dr. Michael Nwanze), with the goal of educating U.S. university students about issues related to the Americas. The first official Model OAS General Assembly for Universities was held on March 24-27, 1980, in Washington, D.C. Nineteen universities from Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and the D.C. area, represented twenty-six OAS member states in this Assembly. In 1983 the GS/OAS became the sole sponsor of this program for universities; Georgetown University continued in the program as a participating institution.

In 1982, beginning with mostly DC-area schools, the first MOAS for high schools was held at OAS headquarters in Washington, D.C., under the direction of Mr. Edgar Maya. The High School Model OAS General Assembly program has been held annually at OAS headquarters, and has continually expanded in size and prestige. In 1991, Mr. Edgar Maya, Coordinator of the Model OAS program throughout most of the 1980’s, resigned. Well-loved and highly respected, Mr. Maya had spent the previous ten years of his life molding the Model OAS into the success that it became; MOAS is fun, exciting, educational, and prestigious today largely because of his influence. In 1991, Ms. Nancy Cadima-Irigoyen was appointed as the new MOAS Coordinator. During her term as Coordinator (1991-2003) the presence of MOAS would spread across the Americas, not only impacting U.S. universities, but also schools across Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 1994, the GS/OAS helped the Government of Ecuador to hold a national high school Model program in Quito, at which the OAS Assistant Secretary General Christopher Thomas gave the opening address. In 1995, the GS/OAS co-sponsored a national high school MOAS for Honduras, in Tegucigalpa, where then OAS Secretary General César Gaviria addressed the students. By 1996, universities from Canada, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and the United States were all attending MOAS programs in Washington, D.C.

In 1997, in addition to the MOAS for universities held at headquarters, the GS/OAS took an unprecedented step towards the goal of internationalization: The first international Model program for universities held away from the OAS headquarters took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Held under the auspices of La Universidad del Salvador and the Argentine government, the OAS provided 500 students from 25 universities from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela the opportunity to practice international diplomacy. Since the year 2000 the GS/OAS sponsored MOAS for universities have been held abroad in: Edmonton, Canada in 2000 (Twentieth MOAS); San Martin de los Andes, Argentina in 2001(Twenty-First MOAS) and after a one year hiatus, in Querétaro, Mexico in 2003(Twenty-Second MOAS). The Twenty-third MOAS for high schools was held in December 2004. In 2004 no MOAS for universities was held.

Concurrently, the MOAS for universities held in Washington has been sponsored annually by the Inter-American Institute for Diplomacy, in cooperation with the OAS. Beginning in 2005, this formerly known “Maya MOAS” has changed its name to Washington MOAS. This Model is held in early spring, usually at the beginning of April.

Finally, with more students coming in contact with the Model OAS in class and at Model General Assemblies, a grassroots movement was launched to form an Alumni Association for program participants. A premier example was the California Association of Model General Assemblies, headed in the early 1990s by Ms. Luella Zamzow of the University of California-Redlands. While such associations had difficulty maintaining membership and obtaining funds, the idea of connecting MOAS participants to encourage further debate and discussion never died. Even today, the OAS is developing a database of students and schools who have attended Model events in hopes of someday forming an online alumni association.