The IIN-OAS celebrates the 100th Regular Meeting of its Directing Council
The IIN-OAS celebrates the 100th Regular Meeting of its Directing Council
From October 12 to 15, 2026, Antigua Guatemala will host the 100th Regular Meeting of the Directing Council of the Inter-American Children’s Institute (IIN-OAS), an event that represents a milestone in the history of the organization and in the commitment of the States of the Americas to promoting the rights of children and adolescents.
The meeting will bring together representatives of the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS), along with delegations of children and adolescents, in a space for dialogue, exchange, and collective development around the main regional agendas concerning children and adolescents.
The 100th Meeting of the Directing Council represents a key governance mechanism of the IIN-OAS. During the meeting, the States will review progress in the Institute’s work, establish priorities, and strengthen regional cooperation on the rights of children and adolescents. Within this framework, the report of the General Directorate will be presented, along with proposed resolutions and other matters related to strengthening public policies in the region.
A century of commitment to the rights of children and adolescents
The 100th Regular Meeting takes on special significance as part of the IIN-OAS centennial. For a century, the Institute has supported the States of the Americas in developing public policies aimed at guaranteeing the rights of children and adolescents and has promoted spaces for regional cooperation and exchange.
This anniversary also represents an opportunity to look to the future and reaffirm the commitments that will guide the Institute’s work in the years ahead, strengthening its role as the OAS specialized organization on children and adolescents.
The meeting will therefore provide an opportunity to celebrate a century of institutional work while also looking ahead to new challenges and priorities for the region.
Child and adolescent participation: intergenerational dialogue
The participation of children and adolescents is one of the key components of this 100th Regular Meeting.
In accordance with their right to be heard and to participate in matters affecting them, delegations of children and adolescents will take part in preparatory activities and dedicated working sessions, which will be developed in coordination with the meetings of the Directing Council.
During the meeting, three thematic areas will be addressed through technical roundtables and spaces for intergenerational dialogue:
- National systems for the comprehensive promotion and protection of the rights of children and adolescents.
- Non-discrimination.
- Family life.
A space for dialogue and regional cooperation
The agenda of the 100th Regular Meeting includes plenary sessions, technical roundtables, and spaces for intergenerational dialogue. The official opening will feature the participation of Guatemalan authorities, OAS authorities, representatives of children’s and adolescents’ networks in Guatemala, and the Presidency of the IIN-OAS Directing Council.
The activities will include the presentation and approval of the report of the General Directorate, consideration of proposed resolutions, intergenerational dialogue, and the presentation and approval of the resolutions of the 100th Meeting.
Other issues of relevance to the regional agenda on the rights of children and adolescents will also be addressed.
The meeting will conclude with a closing session featuring the participation of Guatemalan authorities, the General Directorate of the IIN-OAS, the Presidency of the Directing Council, and delegations of children and adolescents.
Guatemala, host of a historic meeting
Antigua Guatemala, a city recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will host this regional meeting. The event is being organized by an Interinstitutional Organizing Committee coordinated by the Secretariat of Social Welfare of the Presidency of Guatemala and composed of national institutions, in coordination with the IIN-OAS.
Holding this meeting in Guatemala reaffirms the importance of cooperation between the States and the IIN-OAS in advancing public policies that guarantee the rights of children and adolescents throughout the Americas.
100 meetings, one shared commitment
The 100th Regular Meeting of the Directing Council represents much more than another institutional working session. It is an expression of a century of regional cooperation and of an ongoing commitment to promoting societies in which children and adolescents are recognized as rights holders and can actively participate in decisions that affect them.
From Antigua Guatemala, the IIN-OAS and the States of the Americas will come together to take stock, share lessons learned, and identify new paths toward strengthening public policies for children and adolescents.
A century of history is also an opportunity to renew the commitment to the present and help shape the future of the rights of children and adolescents in the Americas.
