At the 40th OAS General Assembly hosted by Peru this week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Honduras' readmission into the OAS. She traveled on to Quito, where she delivered remarks on the shared U.S.-Latin American responsibility to boost social inclusion in the Americas.

"As with the outcome at the last OAS General Assembly, some artful diplomacy could produce a positive step that will finally—for the good of regional diplomacy and Honduras—help to move this process along," writes AS/COA's Christopher Sabatini, discussing the forthcoming meeting of regional heads in Peru. Honduras' readmission prospects into the bloc are expected to take center stage during talks.

South American leaders convened in Buenos Aires May 4 to cover issues ranging from immigration to regional integration.

The region appears to be turning the page on the economic crisis and welcoming financial recovery, with the World Bank and IMF releasing reports showing positive signs of growth across much of Latin America.

A March 31 UN donor conference sparked pledges of nearly $10 billion to help Haiti rebuild. A recovery commission involving the UN, donor countries, and the Haitian government will oversee rebuilding projects, but concerns about implementation continue.

"Governments, including the United States, should value the OAS as it was intended: a venue for working toward a shared hemispheric agenda. Achieving that worthy objective requires reform of the institution itself," write Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in The Miami Herald.

As the Rio Group discusses another regional initiative, the future of an earlier one—Banco del Sur—is still unclear.