Dear Faculty Advisor,

          I am pleased to inform you that the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Institute for Diplomacy (IAID) will jointly hold the Washington Model of the 38th OAS General Assembly for Universities  April 7-11, 2009. The Model OAS will take place both at OAS Headquarters and the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C.

          The Washington Model OAS General Assembly (WMOAS) is the only simulation of the proceedings of a regional intergovernmental organization to take place at its headquarters. The main purpose of the MOAS is to familiarize participants with the current issues facing the Americas, the OAS, and its member nations. To that end, students will meet with their embassy mission at the start of the week, will have OAS consultants on hand during committee sessions, and have the opportunity to meet with their colleagues both across the United States and the Hemisphere. This event will be extremely beneficial and rewarding for students of political science, international relations, diplomacy, international law, international economics, Latin American and Caribbean studies, government or history.

          Information about the objectives and methods of operation , agenda topics, the schedule of events, and hotel booking information can be found at the website of the IAID; http://www.wmoas.org. For the purpose of guidance for new participants, the 2009 program is also posted. While this is a student enterprise, faculty of participating schools play a major role in maintaining the academic rigor of the program through the IAID, which is non-profit organization founded and staffed by faculty with the sole purpose of co-sponsoring the WMOAS.

          There is a participation fee of $US 850.00 per university/country. Each delegation must comprise no more than ten students; two for each of five committees. If a university represents more than one member country, the university must pay the participation fee for each delegation. Acceptances will be limited to the first thirty-four (34) universities to register and remit participation fees.

          The official language of the MOAS is English and resolutions and debate are conducted in that language. As soon as participation fees are received, universities will be informed of their respective country assignments. Every effort will be made to accommodate the stated preferences of universities as noted on the registration form.

          Universities attending the MOAS will pay all of their own costs arising and relating to their attendance at the Model Assembly and shall also make their own transportation arrangements. Information about group bookings at the Fairmont Hotel can be found at http://www.wmoas.org.

          The OAS General Secretariat and the IAID are pleased to provide orientation materials to assist those schools preparing for the MOAS. Please contact either of the following faculty members if you have any questions about the Model General Assembly:

          Should your university be interested in sending a delegation to the 2009 Washington Model General Assembly, please fax a copy of the completed registration form to either Joan Andorfer or Douglas Friedman as soon as possible, but no later than 1 October 2008.
        Payment for participation is due as follows:

   DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PAYMENT FROM U.S. UNIVERSITIES IS OCTOBER 1, 2008

   DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PAYMENT FROM LATIN AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN UNIVERSITIES IS MARCH 1, 2009 AND BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Checks should be made payable to the IAID, and addressed to Joan Andorfer. Country assignments will be made permanent when payment is received.

          We look forward to working with you in the up-coming 38^th Washington Model OAS general Assembly.