TOPICS:

• Summit of the Americas
• Advancement of democracy
• Human Rights
• Administration of justice, probity and public ethics
• Development
• Security
• Coordination with other organizations
• Tribute
• Elections

The General Assembly, whose duties and responsibilities are stipulated in Chapter IX of the Charter, is the supreme organ of the Organization of American States. It meets each year at the time determined by its Rules of Procedure. Under special circumstances, and with the approval of two-thirds of the member States, the Permanent Council may convene a special session of the General Assembly. All member States have the right to be represented at the General Assembly and each State is entitled to one vote. The General Assembly held its twenty-fourth regular session in Belém do Pará, Brazil, June 6 through 10, 1994. The President of the Assembly was Ambassador Celso Amorim, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.

The certified texts of the declarations and resolutions adopted at that session were published in document OEA/Ser.P/XXIV.O.2, September 23, 1994, Volume I.

The General Assembly adopted the Declaration of Belém do Pará (AG/DEC. 6) where, in keeping with the purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the OAS and given the current situation in the hemisphere, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation expressed their firm commitment to strengthening the OAS as the main hemispheric forum of political consensus, so that it might aid the realization of the member States' aspirations of promoting and consolidating peace, democracy, social justice and development.

In its Declaration on the Question of the Malvinas Islands (AG/DEC. 7), the General Assembly welcomed the Argentine Government's reaffirmation of its determination to continue to explore all possible means for a peaceful settlement of the dispute. The General Assembly was particularly gratified by the Argentine Government's constructive statements concerning the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands. The Assembly decided to continue to examine the question of the Malvinas Islands until a definitive solution is reached.

At its twenty-fourth regular session, the General Assembly approved 53 resolutions on a variety of topics: legal and political matters; development and technical cooperation; administrative, and budgetary and institutional affairs, and relations with other organizations. Some of the issues the Assembly addressed were as follows:

Summit of the Americas

The Assembly expressed the view that the invitation to the Summit of the Americas extended by the President of the United States, the Honorable William Jefferson Clinton, offered an important opportunity to strengthen inter-American dialogue and cooperation and to adapt to the new realities of the hemisphere. It instructed the Permanent Council to prepare, in coordination with the Secretary General, the contribution that the Organization of American States would make to the Summit of the Americas and the follow-up of the pertinent recommendations emanating therefrom (AG/RES. 1254).

Pursuant to that mandate, the Permanent Council established a Working Group on the Summit of the Americas. The General Secretariat cooperated to assist the Working Group with its Summit-related business. Once the Summit was over, the Secretary General presented a report to the Permanent Council outlining its results and the implications of the political mandates that the Heads of State of the Americas had given to the OAS.

Advancement of democracy

The General Assembly was pleased that the Permanent Council had adopted the Work Plan of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy and instructed the Council to continue its study of the proposed incentives to preserving and strengthening democratic systems (AG/RES. 1280). Likewise, it instructed the Council to continue to examine the procedures and measures that the Organization should adopt to implement and finance the special activities resulting from application of resolution AG/RES. 1080 (XXI-O/91) "Representative Democracy" (AG/RES. 1281).

The General Assembly acknowledged the contribution that the CIAV/OAS had for several years made to the peace process and economic development of Nicaragua and urged the member countries and permanent observers to continue to provide support for Nicaragua's recovery (AG/RES. 1298).

Human Rights

The cause of promoting and defending human rights has been a priority for the Organization. The General Assembly approved two new inter-American instruments in the area of human rights and issued guidelines for the work of the organs and institutions active in this field.

The Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons (AG/RES. 1256) and the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence Against Women "Convention of Belém do Pará" (AG/RES. 1257) are contributions to the development of international law in the Americas and help strengthen the inter-American system for the promotion and defense of human rights.

In AG/RES. 1265, the General Assembly expressed its support for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' continued performance of the functions conferred upon it in the American Convention on Human Rights and urged those member States that had not yet done so, to either ratify or accede to the American Convention on Human Rights and to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In resolution AG/RES. 1269, while the Assembly noted the progress achieved in the effective observance of human rights in the region, it also expressed concern over the persistence of serious human rights violations and underscored the importance of several matters that must receive particular attention in this regard. At the same time, it urged the member States to accept the competence of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to receive and examine communications from States concerning other States, in accordance with the American Convention on Human Rights.

The General Assembly condemned all forms of racism, racial or religious discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance and urged the member States to strengthen their policies, programs and measures to prevent and avoid them (AG/RES. 1271).

Administration of justice, probity and public ethics

The General Assembly singled out new issues for the member States to discuss and collaborate on, for the sake of strengthening democratic institutions and contributing to good government.

In resolution AG/RES. 1272, the General Assembly instructed the Permanent Council to study the various ways of enhancing the administration of justice in the Americas.

It also instructed the Permanent Council to establish a working group to study the subject of probity and public ethics. In the course of its proceedings, that group may prepare recommendations on legal mechanisms to ensure probity and public ethics, with full respect for the sovereignty of the member States (AG/RES. 1294).

Development

After taking stock of the potential benefits to be derived from the liberalization of international trade that will result from the Uruguay Round of GATT, the General Assembly urged the member States to act promptly to ratify and implement the Uruguay Round Agreement (AG/RES. 1295).

Regional integration is one of the objectives of the inter-American system. Accordingly, the Assembly recommended to the Permanent Council that it continue to identify legal areas that might be addressed through concrete projects conducted in cooperation with regional and subregional integration institutions (AG/RES. 1267).

The Permanent Council was asked to evaluate the Inter-American Program of Action for Environmental Protection and to bring its activities up to date, in line with the results of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (AG/RES. 1286). The General Assembly decided to hold a meeting of experts on environmentally sound technologies to further the OAS' efforts toward implementation of Agenda 21 at the regional level (AG/RES. 1300).

The General Assembly urged the member States to give CICAD every possible support in its efforts to implement the measures contained in the document on "Strategies to Enhance the Effectiveness of Efforts to Prevent the Illicit Production, Distribution, and Use of Drugs and to Combat Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in the Americas" (AG/RES. 1293). The Assembly also called for the support of financial institutions and the cooperation of the General Secretariat for the sustainable alternative development efforts undertaken by the countries (AG/RES. 1301).

The General Assembly turned its attention to measures aimed at redirecting cooperation for development and at the transition to the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), created under the Protocol of Managua; it adopted decisions to that effect. In resolution AG/RES. 1260, the General Assembly asked CEPCIES and CEPCIECC to set up a joint working group to study and recommend measures needed in both Councils during the transition period, until such time as the CIDI has been established. The Assembly also asked the Permanent Council to continue to prepare the CIDI's Draft Statutes and Draft Rules of Procedure (AG/RES. 1287).

Security

Since 1991, when the Santiago Commitment to Democracy and Renewal of the Inter-American System was adopted, the General Assembly and the Permanent Council have examined the issue of hemispheric security, given recent developments worldwide and in the hemisphere, and have taken a modern, comprehensive approach to security and disarmament.

The General Assembly adopted a number of decisions in this area. It instructed the Permanent Council to conduct, through the Special Committee on Hemispheric Security, studies that will make it possible to develop proposals to identify, classify and systematize the areas of competence and the functions of the various institutions involved in hemispheric security issues (AG/RES. 1285). It also instructed the Permanent Council to continue to examine issues related to confidence-building and, inter alia, the peaceful settlement of disputes and conflict prevention (AG/RES. 1288).

As for international humanitarian law, the General Assembly urged the member States to do their utmost to guarantee the safety of personnel engaged in humanitarian activities and recommended that the OAS Secretary General continue to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross (AG/RES. 1270). It also urged the member States that had not already done so to take all measures necessary to become parties to the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects and recommended to the Special Committee on Hemispheric Security that it consider the issue of land mines in its work program (AG/RES. 1299).

The General Assembly articulated the Organization's steadfast commitment to effectively contribute to the efforts being made at the global level to strengthen peace and security, by supporting global efforts to achieve the objective of general and complete disarmament under effective international control (AG/RES. 1302). It welcomed the concrete measures taken by a number of countries for consolidation of the regime of military denuclearization established by the Treaty of Tlatelolco and renewed the commitment to continue to promote the search for a genuine and nondiscriminatory regime of nonproliferation in all aspects (AG/RES. 1283).

Coordination with other organizations

The General Assembly underscored the importance of coordinating the OAS' activities with those of other international organizations, both within and outside the inter-American system, particularly the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (AG/RES. 1264); the United Nations (AG/RES. 1289); the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (AG/RES. 1292) and CARICOM (AG/RES. 1304).

Concerning cooperation with the United Nations, the General Assembly instructed the Secretary General to coordinate the OAS' activities to promote and implement the "International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples" in the hemisphere (AG/RES. 1255) and renewed its support for cooperation between the OAS and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (AG/RES. 1273). It also asked the Secretary General to continue to make arrangements with the United Nations Secretary-General to ensure that the OAS receives the information that the member States send to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, along with information on military spending (AG/RES. 1284).

The General Assembly instructed the Permanent Council and the Secretary General to coordinate strategies and programs with the Pan American Health Organization and the Inter-American Children's Institute to improve the quality of life of the disabled of the Americas (AG/RES. 1296).

Tribute

The General Assembly expressed its deep appreciation to Ambassador João Clemente Baena Soares, then Secretary General, for his ten years of service at the helm of the Organization.

Elections

The Assembly elected the following persons to fill vacancies on: the Inter-American Juridical Committee, Mr. Roberto Alemán Zubieta (Panama), José Luis Sequeiros (Mexico), and Ramiro Saraiva Guerreiro (Brazil); the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Oliver Jackman (Barbados), Alirio Abreu Burelli (Venezuela) and Antonio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Brazil); the Board of External Auditors, Jocelyn Thompson (Trinidad and Tobago), and the Administrative Tribunal, Enrique Ponce y Carbo (Ecuador).

The twenty-first special session of the General Assembly was held at Organization headquarters, March 27, 1994. There, the General Assembly elected the Honorable César Gaviria, President of the Republic of Colombia, as Secretary General for the 1994-1999 term.

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