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24 October 2026 · Updated at 07:47 GMT FR EN ES Member area Log in
Member States

Rights and Obligations

What membership of OIMAP opens up and requires: members' rights, obligations, and the suspension regime.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 4 min read

Pages in this section

Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)Members' rightsRight to vote, access to services, representation in the bodies and support from the Organization: what a Member State receives.› The Dance at the Court of Herod, Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1500)Members' obligationsRatify the conventions, designate a focal point, contribute to the budget and cooperate: the commitments of each Member State.› Coronation of the Virgin, Christoffel Jegher (1632–36)Suspension of a Member StateThe grounds, effects and lifting of a suspension: payment arrears of more than 24 months or serious breach.›

A membership built on reciprocal commitments

Portrait of John VIII Palaoelogus, Emperor of Constantinople, 1424-1428 (reverse), Pisanello (c. 1438–1439)
Portrait of John VIII Palaoelogus, Emperor of Constantinople, 1424-1428 (reverse), Pisanello (c. 1438–1439)

Becoming a member of OIMAP means entering a framework of reciprocal commitments. The State enjoys rights: taking part in decisions, accessing services and assistance, being represented in the bodies. It also assumes obligations: respecting the reference conventions, designating a focal point, paying its contribution and cooperating with the Organization.

This section details the rights of members, the obligations and the cases of suspension.

The guiding principle is equality: each State has one vote in the General Assembly, regardless of its size.

  • Rights
  • Obligations
  • Member States

Rights and obligations in figures

67Member States
1Vote per State
2/3Majority for admission decisions
24 monthsPayment arrears before suspension

Source: Member States Relations Directorate.

Three pages

Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)RightsMembers' rights

Vote, services, representation.

›Sandal (mtalawanda / mtawanda) or Clog (kiatu cha mti) (c 1800s)DutiesObligations

Ratification, contribution, cooperation.

›Dune Scene with Peasant Figures, Willem van de Velde (mid-1650s)SanctionSuspension

Grounds, effects, reinstatement.

›

Distribution

Participation rights40% (indicative)
Rights of access to services35% (indicative)
Rights of representation25% (indicative)

Indicative weight of the categories of rights in the reference text.

Seated Buddha (1100s)
Seated Buddha (1100s)
Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)
Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l’anno MDCCXLVII, known as La Pianta Grande di Roma, Giovanni Battista Nolli (1748)
Ring-Base Vessel (c. 600–1000)
Ring-Base Vessel (c. 600–1000)

The foundation: equality and reciprocity

The Organization rests on the sovereign equality of its members. A modest contributor carries as much weight in the General Assembly as a State whose contribution is at the maximum. This rule protects the legitimacy of decisions and ensures that every region is heard.

Reciprocity means that the benefits of membership are the counterpart of commitments: a State that does not fulfil its obligations is exposed to graduated measures, never arbitrary ones.

The sources of rights and obligations

The rights and obligations of members derive from the Organization's constituent act, the rules of procedure adopted by the General Assembly and the OIMAP Directives of 2019. They are supplemented by decisions of the Assembly and circulars of the Secretariat.

Each State receives a copy of these texts upon admission and may consult the Member States Relations Directorate on their interpretation.

Rights: to participate, to access, to be represented

Members' rights fall into three families: participation in decisions, with the right to vote; access to services, such as technical cooperation or training; and representation in the Organization's bodies, notably the Council.

They are exercised through the national focal point, which centralizes relations between the State and the Secretariat.

Obligations: to respect, to contribute, to cooperate

The obligations are of three kinds. The State respects the reference texts: the 1954, 1970 and 1995 conventions and the 2019 Directives. It contributes to the funding, according to the scale of contributions. It cooperates, by responding to requests for information and relaying alerts.

These obligations are not burdensome; they are the natural counterweight to the benefits received.

Rights and obligations in summary

Overview
AreaLawObligation
DecisionA vote in the AssemblyTake part in the proceedings
FinanceInformation on the use of fundsPay the contribution
LawLegal supportRatify the conventions
NetworkAccess to the member areaAppoint a focal point

Milestones

  1. Constituent act

    The 23 founders set out the rights and duties.

  2. Rules of procedure

    Details on voting and suspension.

  3. OIMAP Guidelines

    Seven binding directives.

  4. 67 members

    Common framework for all.

Arrival of the "Southern Barbarians" (c. 1600)
Arrival of the "Southern Barbarians" (c. 1600)
Scenes from Essays in Idleness, Matsumura Goshun (late 1700s–early 1800s)
Scenes from Essays in Idleness, Matsumura Goshun (late 1700s–early 1800s)
Seven Jeweled Mountain (late 1800s)
Seven Jeweled Mountain (late 1800s)

A framework common to all

Rights or obligations: two sides

The Victory Banquet: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Regions, with Imperial Poems (c. 1765–74; poem dated 1760)

Rights

What the State receives
  • Vote
  • Services
  • Representation

Counterpart of the commitments.

View of Venice, Jacopo de' Barbari (1500)

Obligations

What the State gives
  • Ratification
  • Contribution
  • Cooperation

Condition of balance.

Exercising one's rights

  1. Designate

    Its focal point.

  2. Keeping informed

    In the member area.

  3. Vote

    At the General Assembly.

  4. Request

    The assistance services.

  5. Reporting

    On its commitments.

For a new member

An ambassador to the Organization

Disk Pendant (akrafokɔnmu) (1800s, before 1896)
« Equality of vote is what convinced us to join. Our voice counts as much as that of the largest markets. »
Étienne Marchetti-Nsoga, ambassador (example)

Institutional vocabulary

Right to vote
One vote per State in the Assembly.
Constituent act
Founding text of the Organization.
Rules of procedure
Rules of operation.
Breach
Violation of an obligation.

When commitments are no longer honoured

In the event of a breach, the Organization begins with dialogue: reminder, interview, regularization plan. Suspension is a last resort, after a decision of the General Assembly, and it is always reversible.

The precise conditions are set out on the suspension page. The reinstatement of a suspended State is decided by a vote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all States have the same rights?

Yes, each has one vote.

Are the obligations identical?

Yes, except the contribution, which depends on the scale.

What does a defaulting State risk?

Useful Documents

Contacts

Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664)
Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664)
Member States Relations DirectorateParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 08 00membres@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

See members' rights

Floral-shaped Cup and Saucer with Inlaid Chrysanthemum Design (1100s-1200s)

Vote, services and representation.

Members' rights
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