CP/RES. 835 (1352/03)

INCREASING THE 2004 PROGRAM-BUDGET APPROPRIATION
FOR THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

HAVING SEEN the report on financing of the inter American human rights system presented by the President of the Inter American Court of Human Rights, document CP/CAJP 1921/02 corr. 2; the evaluation of the workings of the inter American system for the protection and promotion of human rights with a view to its improvement and strengthening presented by the President of the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, document CP/CAJP 1978/02; and the presentation made by the Executive Secretary of the Commission to the joint meeting of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs and the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs, held on April 16, 2002, document CP/CAJP 1950/02;

BEARING IN MIND:

That the Heads of State and Government, meeting at the Third Summit of the Americas, stated in the Declaration of Quebec City that their commitment to full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms was based on shared principles and convictions and that they supported strengthening and enhancing the effectiveness of the inter American human rights system, which includes the Inter American Commission on Human Rights ("the Commission") and the Inter American Court of Human Rights ("the Court"), and mandated the General Assembly of the Organization of American States to consider an adequate increase in resources for the activities of the Commission and the Court, in order to improve human rights mechanisms and promote observance of the recommendations of the Commission and compliance with the judgments of the Court;

That pursuant to the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas, resolutions AG/RES. 1890 (XXXII O/02), AG/RES. 1894 (XXXII O/02) and AG/RES. 1850 (XXXII O/02) instruct the Permanent Council to present to the General Assembly at its Thirty Third Regular Session a proposed budget for 2004 that includes an effective and adequate increase in the economic resources allocated to the Commission and to the Court; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the General Secretariat is currently preparing 2004 Draft Program Budget proposal,

RESOLVES:

1.     To instruct the General Secretariat, in its 2004 Proposed Program Budget, to appropriate to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights up to $600,000 over and above the amount it was allocated in the 2003 Program Budget, and to the Inter American Court for Human Rights up to $400,000 over and above the amount it was allocated in that Budget.

2.     To instruct the General Secretariat to use as primary sources for these increased appropriations any or all of the following:

a.     Rental income, interest income and income from any other source;

b.     Savings realized in the execution of the Program Budget.

3.     To instruct the Secretary General, in the event he proposes the use of funds from sources other than those mentioned in operative paragraph 2 a and 2 b., to identify these funds and their sources with specificity in his 2004 Program Budget proposal.