On Thursday, November 15, 2018, at the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in Mexico, the XXVI Extraordinary Session of the OPANAL General Conference. The XXVI Extraordinary Session of the General Conference was chaired by His Excellency. Mr. Ezequiel Sabor, Permanent Representative of the Argentine Republic to OPANAL and Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Argentine Republic in Mexico. For their part, Ambassador Nelson Rafael Olivero García, of the Republic of Guatemala, and Ambassador Julio Garro Gálvez, of the Republic of Peru, held the two Vice-Presidencies of the Conference.

During the presentation of his report, the Secretary General of OPANAL, Ambassador Luiz Filipe de Macedo Soares, made an analysis of the world situation regarding nuclear weapons:

It is not necessary to be a professional observer of international relations to perceive that the tension and consequent threat of war has increased. The practical preparations made by the holders and the speeches of each of them about the situations in which they find themselves involved reestablish the term "war" as a normal designation of international conduct, returning us to the years preceding 1914 or 1939.

On the other hand, the Secretary General referred to the role of the Member States of OPANAL in the international regime of disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons:

There are no and never have been nuclear weapons in our region. Furthermore, no country in our region contemplates support for nuclear weapons in its defense policy. Decades have gone by without controversies in our region resulting in armed conflicts. There is no uniformity of political or economic visions in our region, but that does not prevent common positions from being agreed on issues of global scope. If I allow myself to show this panorama known to all of us, it is to highlight the exceptional nature of Latin America and the Caribbean. Would this be a divine gift? A trace of our peaceful nature? No one around this table would be naïve enough to answer in the affirmative. However, I believe that no one would deny the result of a centuries-old intellectual effort, of a constant diplomatic practice and of a continuous improvement of International Law among us, Latin Americans and Caribbeans, as a basis for justice and peace.

The General Conference adopted resolutions, inter alia, about: the Control System of the Treaty of Tlatelolco; the Secretariat Internship Program; the Courses on disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons organized by OPANAL; the Agency's Coordinations in New York and Vienna; the 50th Anniversary of OPANAL in 2019; as well as the OPANAL Budget for 2019. For its part, through resolution CG/E/Res.07/2018, the General Conference approved amendments to the Financial Regulations of the Agency.

During the general debate, Member States took stock of OPANAL's activities during 2018. Likewise, they spoke about recent challenges and events in the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime, such as the adoption, in 2017, of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in the United Nations.

The General Conference is the supreme body of OPANAL and, therefore, makes the decisions of greatest relevance to the Organization. It is made up of all the Contracting Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, that is, all the 33 States of Latin America and the Caribbean, and holds ordinary meetings every two years, and may also hold extraordinary meetings whenever so provided for in the Treaty of Tlatelolco, or when circumstances so advise in the opinion of the Council.