Organization of Ibero-American States

The Organization of Ibero-American States (Spanish: Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, Portuguese: Organização de Estados Iberoamericanos, Catalan: Organització d'Estats Iberoamericans; abbreviated as OEI), formally the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture, is an international organization made up of 23 members states of Iberophone nations in Europe and the Americas, as well as one member in Africa. The OEI's membership is composed of all of the sovereign states of Ibero-America and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Equatorial Guinea. All members are Portuguese and Spanish speaking nations, in addition to Andorra, which is predominantly Catalan speaking, though the organization does not include all the Iberophone nations of the world.

Organization of
Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture
Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos (Spanish)
Organização de Estados
Iberoamericanos (Portuguese)
Organització d'Estats Iberoamericans (Catalan)

Madrid, Spain

Spanish
Portuguese
Catalan

23 sovereign states

Mariano Jabonero

1949

1985

21,462,574 km² (8,286,746 sq mi)

712,974,000

61.09/km² (158.2/sq mi)

2014 estimate

$11.306 trillion

$15,858

To contribute to the fortification of knowledge, mutual understanding, integration, solidarity and peace among the Ibero-American peoples, and to spread education, science, technology and culture

To encourage the development of education and culture for peace by preparing people to preserve freedom, solidarity and human rights, supporting change which make these possible

To collaborate in the interchange of economic, political and cultural influences between Europe and Ibero-America

To collaborate with its members ensure that their education systems are compassionate, democratic (socially fair) and productive, preparing for working life

To collaborate in the diffusion of a common culture, respecting the uniqueness of its member states, encouraging global advances in science and technology while retaining cultural identity

To facilitate relationships among science, technology and society in the Ibero-American countries and citizen understanding of their effects

To promote the equitable distribution of cultural, technological and scientific concepts

To promote lateral cooperation among member states and between the states and other regional institutions

To contribute to the spread of the Spanish and Portuguese languages, encouraging bilingual education while preserving the multicultural identity of the Ibero-American communities with a multilingual culture

The purpose of the OEI is to promote intergovernmental cooperation among its member nations, primarily in the fields of education, science, technology and the arts. Its General Secretariat is located in Madrid. Financing of OEI operations and programs is derived from obligatory quotas and voluntary contributions from the governments of member nations and private cultural and educational institutions and foundations.

Organization of Ibero-American States