AG/RES. 1998 (XXXIV-O/04): Follow-Up To The Special Conference On Security

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session held on June 8, 2004)

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly, in particular the section that refers to matters assigned to the Committee on Hemispheric Security, including the Special Conference on Security (AG/doc. 4265/04 add. 5 corr. 1);

RECALLING:

That the Summit of the Americas of Santiago (Chile, 1998) instructed the Organization of American States, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security to: "follow up on and expand topics relating to confidence and security building measures; analyze the meaning, scope, and implications of international security concepts in the Hemisphere, with a view to developing the most appropriate common approaches by which to manage their various aspects, including disarmament and arms control; and pinpoint ways to revitalize and strengthen the institutions of the inter-American system related to the various aspects of Hemispheric Security culminating in" a Special Conference on Security, to be held within the framework of the OAS;

That the Summit of the Americas of Quebec City (Canada, 2001) asked the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security to review all issues related to common approaches to international security in the Hemisphere, with a view to holding the Special Conference on Security;

The mandates and decisions related to the Special Conference on Security, including those of the General Assembly set out in its resolutions AG/RES. 1566 (XXVIII-O/98), "Confidence- and Security-Building in the Americas"; AG/RES. 1643 (XXIX-O/99), "Work Program of the Committee on Hemispheric Security in Preparation for the Special Conference on Security"; AG/RES. 1795 (XXXI-O/01), "Preparations for the Summit-Mandated Special Conference on Security"; AG/RES. 1908 (XXXII-O/02), "Special Conference on Security," and AG/RES. 1940 (XXXIII-O/03), "Special Conference on Security," and in its declaration AG/DEC. 27 (XXXII-O/02), "Declaration of Bridgetown: The Multidimensional Approach to Security", as well as those of the Twenty-Third Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, set out in resolution RC.23/RES. 1/01 rev. 1 corr. 1, "Strengthening Hemispheric Cooperation to Prevent, Combat, and Eliminate Terrorism";

That, at the Special Summit of the Americas, held in Monterrey, Mexico, in January 2004, the Heads of State and Government reiterated their commitment to the objectives and purposes contained in the Declaration on Security in the Americas, emanating from the Special Conference on Security;

That the commitments adopted by our Heads of State and Government through the Summit of the Americas process provide a framework for the promotion of cooperation in matters pertaining to hemispheric security;

NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the success of the Special Conference on Security, held on October 27 and 28, 2003, in Mexico City, Mexico;

RECOGNIZING the importance of the results emanating from the Special Conference on Security, and especially the adoption of the Declaration on Security in the Americas, which asserts that "[o]ur new concept of security in the Hemisphere is multidimensional in scope, includes traditional and new threats, concerns, and other challenges to the security of the states of the Hemisphere, incorporates the priorities of each state, contributes to the consolidation of peace, integral development, and social justice, and is based on democratic values, respect for and promotion and defense of human rights, solidarity, cooperation, and respect for national sovereignty";

RECOGNIZING ALSO the shared values and common approaches identified in the Declaration on Security in the Americas; and

REAFFIRMING the commitment to revitalize and strengthen the organs, institutions, and mechanisms of the inter-American system related to the various aspects of security in the Hemisphere, to ensure better coordination and cooperation among them, within the scope of the competence of each one, so as to enhance the capacity of member states to cope with traditional threats, as well as the new threats, concerns, and other challenges to security in the Hemisphere,

RESOLVES:

1. To note with satisfaction the report of the Permanent Council on the Special Conference on Security, as well as its conclusions and recommendations.

2. To endorse the Declaration on Security in the Americas (Declaration) emanating from the Special Conference on Security.

3. To urge all the member states to implement the Declaration, with a view to consolidating peace, stability, and security in the Hemisphere.

4. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security:

a. Coordinate cooperation among the organs, agencies, entities, and mechanisms of the Organization of American States (OAS) related to the various aspects of security and defense in the Hemisphere, respecting the mandates and areas of competence of each, in order to achieve the application, evaluation, and follow-up of the Declaration;

b. Maintain the necessary liaison with other institutions and mechanisms, whether subregional, regional, or international, related to the various aspects of security and defense in the Hemisphere, respecting the mandates and areas of competence of each, in order to achieve the application, evaluation, and follow-up of the Declaration;

c. Request, with the periodicity deemed appropriate, reports on measures and action related to implementation of the Declaration from the following inter-American and international bodies:

i. OAS organs, agencies, entities, and mechanisms related to the various aspects of security and defense in the Hemisphere; and

ii. Other subregional, regional, and international institutions and mechanisms related to the various aspects of security and defense in the Hemisphere;

d. Conduct an ongoing assessment of the progress achieved in the implementation of the Declaration at the national, subregional, regional, and international levels, taking into account the particular circumstances of each subregion and state, with the participation of the organs, agencies, entities, and mechanisms of the OAS, relevant international organizations, and, when appropriate, civil society, to be reflected in the annual report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly;

e. Prepare, in coordination with the relevant organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS, including among others the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), and the Consultative Committee of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), coordinated strategies and integrated action plans related to the new threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security, in accordance with the Declaration on Security in the Americas;

f. Consider in its work plans and, when appropriate, in developing coordinated strategies and integrated action plans, the recommendations formulated by specialized meetings and conferences of the inter-American system related to the subject of security in the Hemisphere;

g. Consider in its work related to the new threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security, the contributions of civil society in this area; and

h. Continue the process of study and assessment of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) and the American Treaty on Pacific Settlement (Pact of Bogotá), as well as other hemispheric instruments currently in force on collective security and the peaceful settlement of disputes, bearing in mind security realities in the Hemisphere and the distinct nature of traditional and nontraditional threats to security as well as cooperation mechanisms for addressing them.

5. To instruct the Secretary General to strengthen the capacity of the General Secretariat to better serve the member states and political bodies of the OAS on matters of hemispheric security, including substantive and secretariat support to the Committee on Hemispheric Security, in accordance with the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.

6. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, conclude its analysis and discussions on the juridical and institutional link between the OAS and the Inter-American Defense Board, in light of the statements contained in the Declaration, in particular its paragraph 49, and to submit its recommendations to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth regular session.

7. To note with satisfaction the Study and to adopt the recommendations contained in the document "Study and Recommendations on the Modernization and Changes Needed to Provide the OAS with the Technical, Advisory, and Educational Expertise on Defense and Security Issues in order to Support the Ongoing Examination of the Institutions of the Inter-American System related to Hemispheric Security" (CSH/GT/ADS/doc.7/04 rev. 6).

8. To request that the General Secretariat prepare a report on how member states can support efforts, agreements, and mechanisms to prevent conflicts and bring about the peaceful settlement of disputes.

9. To instruct the Permanent Council to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution, in accordance with the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.

10. To request the Secretary General to transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the President of the Association of South-East Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF), as well as to other relevant regional organizations.

11. To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth regular session on the implementation of this resolution and to present any recommendations deemed appropriate.