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We, the States of the Americas represented at the Special
Conference on Security, in Mexico City, committed to promoting and
strengthening peace and security in the Hemisphere:
Recalling that the Inter-American Conference on Problems of
War and Peace, held in Chapultepec, Mexico, in 1945, proposed a plan to respond
to the security needs of the Americas;
Bearing in mind that the 1991 Santiago Commitment to
Democracy and the Renewal of the Inter-American System decided to initiate a
process of consultation on hemispheric security, from an updated and
comprehensive perspective, in light of the new conditions in the region and the
world;
Recalling that the Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile
instructed the Organization of American States (OAS), 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;
Underscoring that the Summit of the Americas held in Quebec
City, Canada 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;
Considering that the Declaration of Bridgetown recognized
that security threats, concerns, and other challenges in the hemispheric
context are of diverse nature and multidimensional scope, and that the
traditional concept and approach should be expanded to encompass new and
nontraditional threats, which include political, economic, social, health, and
environmental aspects;
Considering that the states of the Americas share historical
roots, principles, and values of civilization that have allowed us to institute
a legal order based on the Charter of the United Nations and the Charter of the
Organization of American States;
Recognizing that the states of the Hemisphere face both
traditional threats to security and new threats, concerns, and other challenges
that, in view of their complex characteristics, have meant that security is
multidimensional in nature; and
Firmly convinced that, in view of the profound changes that
have occurred in the world and in the Americas since 1945, we have a unique
opportunity to reaffirm the principles, shared values, and common approaches
upon which peace and security in the Hemisphere is built,
Declare that:
I. PRINCIPLES OF THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE
CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
1. We reaffirm that security in the Hemisphere has as a
fundamental basis the respect of the principles enshrined in the Charter of the
United Nations and the Charter of the Organization of American States.
II. SHARED VALUES AND COMMON APPROACHES
2. Our 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.
3. Peace is a value and a principle in itself, based on
democracy, justice, respect for human rights, solidarity, security, and respect
for international law. Our security architecture will help preserve it through
the strengthening of cooperation mechanisms among our states to address the
traditional threats and the new threats, concerns, and other challenges facing
our Hemisphere.
4. We affirm that our cooperation in addressing traditional
threats and new threats, concerns, and other challenges to security is also
based on shared values and common approaches recognized in the Hemisphere.
Salient among them are:
a. Each state has the sovereign right to identify its own
national security priorities and to define strategies, plans, and actions for
addressing threats to its security, in accordance with its legal system and
with full respect for international law and the norms and principles of the
Charter of the OAS and the Charter of the United Nations.
b. Representative democracy is an indispensable condition
for the stability, peace, and development of the states of the Hemisphere. In
particular, we reaffirm our commitment to the full observance of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter and to its values, principles, and
mechanisms.
c. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and
good governance are essential for the stability, peace, and political,
economic, social development of the states of the Hemisphere.
d. The constitutional subordination of all state
institutions to the legally constituted civilian authority and respect for the
rule of law on the part of all institutions and sectors of society are
fundamental values that contribute to stability and peace in the states of the
Hemisphere.
e. In our Hemisphere, as democratic states committed to the
principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the OAS, we reaffirm that
the basis and purpose of security is the protection of human beings. Security
is strengthened when we deepen its human dimension. Conditions for human
security are improved through full respect for people’s dignity, human rights,
and fundamental freedoms, as well as the promotion of social and economic
development, social inclusion, and education and the fight against poverty,
disease, and hunger.
f. Education for peace and the promotion of a democratic
culture play a key role in the development of states, the strengthening of
stability, and the consolidation of our Hemisphere as a region where
understanding and mutual respect, dialogue, and cooperation prevail.
g. Social justice and human development are necessary for
the stability of each state in the Hemisphere. Fostering friendly relations and
inter-American cooperation for integral development strengthens security of the
states of the Hemisphere.
h. The states of the Hemisphere reaffirm the importance of
enhancing the participation of women in all efforts to promote peace and
security, the need to increase women’s decision-making role at all levels in
relation to conflict prevention, management, and resolution and to integrate a
gender perspective in all policies, programs, and activities of all
inter-American organs, agencies, entities, conferences, and processes that deal
with matters of hemispheric security.
i. The security threats, concerns, and other challenges in
the hemispheric context are of diverse nature and multidimensional scope, and
the traditional concept and approach must be expanded to encompass new and
nontraditional threats, which include political, economic, social, health, and
environmental aspects.
j. Traditional threats to security and the mechanisms for
addressing them remain important and may be different in nature from the new
threats, concerns, and other challenges to security and from cooperation
mechanisms for addressing them.
k. The new threats, concerns, and other challenges are
cross-cutting problems that require multifaceted responses by different
national organizations and in some cases partnerships between governments, the
private sector, and civil society all acting appropriately in accordance with
democratic norms and principles, and constitutional provisions of each state.
Many of the new threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security
are transnational in nature and may require appropriate hemispheric
cooperation.
l. The states of the Hemisphere recognize different
perspectives regarding security threats and priorities. The security
architecture in our Hemisphere should be flexible and provide for the
particular circumstances of each subregion and each state.
m. The security of states of the Hemisphere is affected, in
different ways, by traditional threats and the following new threats, concerns,
and other challenges of a diverse nature:
• terrorism, transnational organized crime, the global drug
problem, corruption, asset laundering, illicit trafficking in weapons, and the
connections among them;
• extreme poverty and social exclusion of broad sectors of
the population, which also affect stability and democracy. Extreme poverty
erodes social cohesion and undermines the security of states;
• natural and man-made disasters, HIV/AIDS and other
diseases, other health risks, and environmental degradation;
• trafficking in persons;
• attacks to cyber security;
• the potential for damage to arise in the event of an
accident or incident during the maritime transport of potentially hazardous
materials, including petroleum and radioactive materials and toxic waste; and
• the possibility of access, possession, and use of weapons
of mass destruction and their means of delivery by terrorists.
It is the responsibility of the specialized fora of the OAS,
and inter-American and international fora to develop cooperation mechanisms to
address these new threats, concerns, and other challenges, based on applicable
instruments and mechanisms.
n. Subregional and regional integration processes contribute
to stability and security in the Hemisphere.
o. Bilateral and subregional agreements and cooperation
mechanisms in the area of security and defense are essential to strengthening
security in the Hemisphere.
p. Conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of
disputes between states are essential to the stability and security of the
Hemisphere.
q. States of the Hemisphere recognize the importance of
dialogue and of other national efforts to achieve resolution of situations of
internal conflict and attain reconciliation and a just and lasting peace.
International, inter-American, and subregional institutions and mechanisms can
perform, when requested by the state concerned, a valuable role in supporting
national peace and reconciliation efforts.
r. Full respect for the integrity of the national territory
and for the sovereignty and political independence of each state in the region
constitutes an essential basis for peaceful coexistence and security in the
Hemisphere. We reaffirm the inherent right of all states to individual or
collective self-defense and our commitment to refrain from the threat or use of
force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,
or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations and
the OAS Charter.
s. The Hemisphere has made important advances towards the
maintenance of peace. In order to guarantee that these are sustained, constant
efforts are required to make effective use of the mechanisms agreed upon to
prevent and peacefully resolve disputes or conflicts between states, in keeping
with the OAS Charter and the Charter of the United Nations.
t. The states in the Hemisphere acknowledge the need to find
prompt and peaceful solutions to the controversies that persist in the
Hemisphere and undertake to make every effort to reach negotiated agreements
based on justice and full respect for international law and treaties in force.
u. Confidence- and security- building measures and
transparency in defense and security policies contribute to increasing
stability, safeguarding hemispheric and international peace and security, and
consolidating democracy.
v. We recognize the importance and usefulness of the
inter-American instruments and agreements, such as the Inter-American Treaty of
Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) and the American Treaty on Pacific
Settlement (Pact of Bogotá), for states parties, recognizing the different
security perspectives and commitments of the member states.
w. We reaffirm the objective of achieving an effective
limitation of conventional weapons that will make it possible to devote the
largest amount of resources to the economic and social development of the
member states.
x. Solidarity among the American states, expressed through
their economic, technical, political, legal, environmental, social, and
security and defense cooperation, contributes to the stability and security of
the states and the Hemisphere as a whole.
y. The security of the Hemisphere is affected by the threats
to global peace and security. At the same time, a stable and secure Hemisphere
constitutes an essential component of world peace and security. Thus, the
states of the Hemisphere have an important role to play in promoting
international peace and stability, especially through respect for international
law and support for bilateral, regional, and multilateral regimes for
disarmament and non-proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction and arms
control, as well as other agreements, and support for the security
negotiations, mechanisms, activities, and processes within the United Nations
framework.
z. We undertake to strengthen the multilateral system based
on the Charter of the United Nations, the OAS Charter, and international law.
We reaffirm the role of the United Nations Security Council as the organ with
primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. We
also reaffirm that the OAS, as a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the
Charter of the United Nations, should make every effort to achieve the peaceful
settlement of local disputes and should cooperate with the United Nations
Security Council to maintain international peace and security in accordance
with provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the OAS Charter.
III. COMMITMENTS AND COOPERATION MEASURES
5. We reaffirm that democracy is a right and an essential
shared value that contributes to the stability, peace, and development of the
states of the Hemisphere, and its full exercise is vital to enhancing the rule
of law and the political, economic, and social development of peoples. We will
promote and defend democracy through implementation of the OAS Charter and the
Inter-American Democratic Charter and by strengthening the inter-American
system for the protection of human rights.
6. We reaffirm our commitment to the principle of the
peaceful settlement of disputes embodied in the Charter of the United Nations
and the OAS Charter. Likewise, we reaffirm our decision to strengthen peace in
the Hemisphere, through conflict prevention and the peaceful settlement of
disputes. We shall continue to support bilateral subregional, and regional
efforts, agreements, and mechanisms to prevent conflicts and bring about the
peaceful settlement of disputes.
7. Furthermore, we commit to support actions taken by member
states involved in disputes that still exist in the Hemisphere to achieve a
negotiated peaceful solution of these disputes, so that the Hemisphere may be
consolidated as a more stable and secure region. Consequently, we shall
continue to support the work of the OAS General Secretariat through, inter
alia, the Fund for Peace: Peaceful Settlement of Territorial Disputes, when the
parties so request.
8. We call for renewed and ongoing attention to, and the
development of appropriate instruments and strategies within the inter-American
system to address, the special security concerns of small island states, as
reflected in the Declaration of Kingstown on the Security of Small Island
States.
9. We affirm that strengthening bilateral and subregional
agreements and mechanisms for cooperation on security and defense matters
contributes to the region’s peace and political stability and to security in
the Hemisphere.
10. We consider that zones of peace and cooperation
contribute to peace, security, and cooperation in the Hemisphere and we
therefore support the creation of zones of peace at the bilateral or
subregional level by member states.
11. We affirm that the establishment of the first
nuclear-weapons-free zone in a densely populated area through the Treaty for
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty
of Tlatelolco) and its protocols constitutes a substantial contribution to
international peace, security, and stability.
12. We emphasize the commitment of the states in the region
to arms control, disarmament and the nonproliferation of all weapons of mass
destruction and to the full implementation by all states parties of the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling
of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, the
Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and
Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, and the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
13. We declare our objective to make the Americas a region
free of biological and chemical weapons.
14. We shall prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery by, inter alia, resolutely supporting
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including the universal
application of the Agency’s safeguards system, and the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and by establishing national standards and
controls on exports of specialized materials, technology, and expertise that
could contribute to the preparation, production, or use of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery.
15. We reaffirm our commitment to continue to strive to
limit military spending while maintaining capabilities commensurate with our
legitimate defense and security needs and fostering transparency in arms
acquisitions. Continued implementation of confidence- and security-building
measures is conducive to the creation of a favorable environment for this
purpose.
16. We reaffirm that, in the context of peace, cooperation,
and stability established in the Hemisphere, each American state is free to
define its own defense instruments, including the mission, personnel, armed
forces, and public security forces needed to guarantee its sovereignty, and to
accede to the corresponding legal instruments, in the context of the Charter of
the United Nations and the Charter of the Organization of American States.
17. We reiterate that, as stated in the Declarations of
Santiago and San Salvador and the Consensus of Miami, confidence- and
security-building measures increase transparency and understanding among the
states of the Hemisphere and directly bolster regional stability. We affirm
that the implementation and further development of confidence- and
security-building measures, within the constitutional framework of each state,
contribute to peace in the Hemisphere. We will build mutual confidence by
implementing, as appropriate, confidence- and security-building measures
identified in the aforementioned instruments and those established under
bilateral and multilateral instruments and other arrangements.
18. We affirm that the Conferences of Ministers of Defense
of the Americas and other existing fora for consultation on defense matters in
the Hemisphere have become appropriate fora for promoting mutual understanding
and confidence, dialogue, and transparency in the area of defense.
19. We reaffirm that the Meetings of Ministers of Justice or
Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA) and other meetings of
criminal justice authorities are important and effective fora for promoting and
strengthening mutual understanding, confidence, dialogue, and cooperation in
developing criminal justice policies and responses to address new threats to
security.
20. We reaffirm our support for establishing the Hemisphere
as an anti-personnel-landmine-free zone. We welcome the cooperative approach
and efforts of all states as well as those of the Organization of American
States Mine Action Team to support humanitarian de-mining, mine risk education,
landmine victim assistance and rehabilitation, and socio-economic recovery. We
highlight the importance of the Ottawa Convention and its universalization and
support State Parties to this Convention in their efforts to implement it to
rid their territories of anti-personnel landmines. /
21. We recognize that our Hemisphere is in a position to
contribute to global peace and security and, with this in mind, we agree to
collaborate on training and organization for peacekeeping missions, so that
each state, according to its capabilities and should its domestic legal system
permit, may participate in operations of this sort conducted by the United
Nations.
22. We affirm that terrorism poses a serious threat to
security, the institutions, and the democratic values of states and to the
well-being of our peoples. We renew our commitment to fight terrorism and its
financing with full respect for the rule of law and international law,
including international humanitarian law, international human rights law,
international refugee law, the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism, and
United Nations Security Council resolution 1373 (2001). We will undertake to
promote the universalization and effective implementation of current
international conventions and protocols related to terrorism.
23. In the legal framework referred to in the previous
paragraph, we shall foster, in the countries of the Hemisphere, the capacity to
prevent, punish, and eliminate terrorism. We shall strengthen the
Inter-American Committee against Terrorism and bilateral, subregional, and
hemispheric cooperation, through information exchange and the broadest possible
mutual legal assistance to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism,
prevent the international movement of terrorists, without prejudice to
applicable international commitments in relation to the free movement of people
and the facilitation of commerce, and ensure the prosecution, in accordance
with domestic law, of those who participate in planning, preparing, or
committing acts of terrorism, and those who directly or indirectly provide or
collect funds with the intention that they should be used, or in the knowledge
that they are to be used, in order to carry out terrorist acts. We undertake to
identify and fight new terrorist threats, whatever their origin or motivation,
such as threats to cyber security, biological terrorism, and threats to
critical infrastructure.
24. We emphasize the need to reinforce existing efforts in
the Hemisphere with regard to transportation security with those of the
International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime
Organization, without prejudice to the flow of trade. Furthermore, it is
important to coordinate national and multilateral initiatives in the area of
transportation and port security, through such regional fora as the Western
Hemisphere Transport Initiative, the Inter-American Ports Commission, the
Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), the Inter-American Drug
Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), 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).
25. We condemn transnational organized crime, since it
constitutes an assault on institutions in our states and negatively affects our
societies. We renew our commitment to fighting it by strengthening the domestic
legal framework, the rule of law, and multilateral cooperation, respectful of
the sovereignty of each state, in particular through the exchange of
information, mutual legal assistance, and extradition. We shall combat
transnational organized crime, inter alia, by fully implementing the
obligations contracted by the states parties to the United Nations Convention
on Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols, so that money
laundering, kidnapping, illicit trafficking in human beings, corruption, and
other related crimes are criminalized in the Hemisphere and so that the assets
from the proceeds of these crimes are identified, traced, frozen or seized and
are ultimately confiscated and disposed of. We shall also improve coordination
and technical cooperation to strengthen national institutions dedicated to
preventing and sanctioning these transnational crimes and identifying and
prosecuting members of transnational criminal organizations.
26. We will develop a culture of cybersecurity in the
Americas by taking effective preventive measures to anticipate, address, and
respond to cyberattacks, whatever their origin, fighting against cyber threats
and cybercrime, criminalizing attacks against cyberspace, protecting critical
infrastructure and securing networked systems. We reaffirm our commitment to
develop and implement an integral OAS cybersecurity strategy, utilizing the
contributions and recommendations developed jointly by member state experts and
the REMJA Governmental Experts Group on Cybercrime, CICTE, the Inter-American
Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), and other appropriate organs, taking into
consideration the existing work developed by member states, coordinated with
the Committee on Hemispheric Security.
27. We reaffirm that multilateral cooperation, based on
shared responsibility, integrity, balance, mutual trust, and full respect for
the sovereignty of states, is essential for addressing the global drug problem
and related crimes, which constitute a threat to the security of the region. We
shall strengthen CICAD and the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism, so as to
advance the fight against the illicit production, trafficking, and consumption
of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related crimes.
28. We are convinced that the illicit manufacturing of and
trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives, and related materials are a
threat to hemispheric security and, when these are used by terrorists and
criminals, undermines the rule of law, breeds violence and, in some cases,
impunity, exacerbates conflicts, and represents a serious threat to human
security. We reiterate the need for effective cooperation to prevent, combat,
and eradicate this threat and we recognize the value of the CIFTA.
29. We shall combat the illicit manufacturing of and
trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials
by, among other actions, destroying excess stocks of firearms designated by
each State, securing and managing national stockpiles, and regulating firearms
brokering, including sanctions for illicit arms brokering for the purpose of
avoiding their diversion through illicit channels and their proliferation.
Likewise, we shall strengthen efforts at bilateral and multilateral cooperation
and, in particular, coordination and cooperation among the Consultative
Committee of the CIFTA, CICAD, CICTE and the United Nations.
30. We emphasize that money laundering erodes the integrity,
probity, and transparent operations of public and private financial
institutions and its harmful effects extend to other sectors of society. We
shall continue to work within the framework of CICAD, and with other relevant
regional and international bodies, to strengthen cooperation and the exchange
of information on controls within our countries’ financial systems, so as to
eradicate this crime.
31. We reaffirm our commitment to the fight against both
passive and active corruption, which constitutes a threat to the security of
our states and undermines public and private institutions and society’s trust,
does enormous economic damage, compromises stability, erodes the rule of law,
and weakens the ability of governments to respond to other security threats.
Its effects extend to different fields of activity in our states. Thus,
cooperation, mutual legal assistance, extradition, and concerted action to
combat corruption constitute a political and moral imperative. We pledge to
strengthen the Follow-up Mechanism of the Inter-American Convention against
Corruption and to support the United Nations Convention on this same question.
32. We underscore the role of education for peace and the
strengthening of democracy in our Hemisphere as a region where tolerance,
dialogue, and mutual respect prevail as peaceful forms of coexistence. We
recommend that both in each state and in the corresponding inter-American
instances, particularly the Inter-American Education Committee, actions be
taken to promote democratic culture in keeping with the provisions of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter.
33. We agree, in the context of our commitment to a
democratic culture, to strengthen civil society participation in considering,
developing, and implementing multidimensional approaches to security.
34. We underscore the importance of continuing to ensure and
promote the protection of refugees, those granted asylum, and asylum-seekers in
a context of solidarity and effective cooperation among all states, in
accordance with the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967
Protocol and international principles governing the protection of refugees. We
underscore the importance of providing protection and assistance for internally
displaced persons. Likewise, we renew the call for international and
inter-American cooperation in situations of mass refugee flows to facilitate
voluntary repatriation under dignified and safe conditions, and, whenever
appropriate and feasible, bearing in mind national possibilities, local
integration or resettlement of refugees in a third state, in accordance with
international standards.
35. We shall strengthen cooperation mechanisms and actions
to address extreme poverty, inequality, and social exclusion on an urgent
basis. Overcoming these unacceptable conditions is a primary task of the states
of the Hemisphere, which requires continued commitment and actions to promote
economic and social development, and education, and should be complemented with
coordination, cooperation, and solidarity among states, and action by
international financial institutions, including innovative financial mechanisms
that emerge in the competent fora. We also reaffirm our commitment to combating
extreme poverty within our states by adopting and implementing actions in
accordance with the Millennium Development Goals, the Monterrey Consensus, and
the Declaration of Margarita, inter alia, promoting development through
economic cooperation of the Hemisphere, and fully utilizing national, regional,
and international development agencies.
36. We affirm our decision to collaborate, at the request of
the state that so requires, in the search for urgent solutions to financial
crises that may affect the political, economic, or social stability of the
member state. Therefore, we will support member states in the search for a
solution to the crisis, with due urgency, through negotiations within the
institutional framework of the international financial organizations.
37. We express our concern over the fact that lack of access
to and insufficient health care aggravate marginalization and extreme poverty.
We reaffirm that universal and nondiscriminatory access to basic health
services, including health education and prevention programs, is an ongoing
commitment of our states. We also propose strengthening education and
information campaigns to prevent the spread of diseases.
38. We note that inadequate health care exacerbates the
spread of HIV/AIDS and other epidemic diseases, which represents a serious
threat with greater impact on the states of the Hemisphere having fewer
resources to prevent and combat them. We propose to develop crosscutting
strategies, principally within the framework of the World Health Organization
and the Pan American Health Organization with a gender perspective, and
cooperation mechanisms to combat these diseases and their consequences,
channeling increased national, multilateral, and bilateral resources to this
end, with a view to improving availability and access to medications for all,
particularly for the most vulnerable populations. We will improve the health of
our peoples, promoting comprehensive health policies with a gender perspective,
as well as access to health care, including medications and medical treatment,
encouraging research on diseases disproportionately affecting developing
states, mobilizing extra funding, improving international cooperation against
new epidemics, and strengthening the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis,
and Malaria.
39. We express our concern over natural and man-made
disasters that afflict states of the Hemisphere and cause greater devastation
in the most vulnerable states that have not yet developed adequate prevention
and mitigation capabilities. We pledge to strengthen the existing
inter-American mechanisms and develop new cooperation mechanisms to improve and
broaden the region’s response capability in preventing and mitigating the
effects of these disasters. We will effectively and swiftly address natural
disasters by strengthening existing bilateral, subregional, and multilateral
actions and institutions, such as the Inter-American Committee for Natural
Disaster Reduction and, when possible, using technology and scientific
resources to prevent their occurrence, as well as taking adaptive measures to
mitigate their effects in order to avoid or reduce damage to the environment,
productive and critical infrastructure our heritage, and, most importantly, our
peoples.
40. We recognize that environmental deterioration affects
the quality of life of our peoples and may constitute a threat, concern, or
challenge to the security of states in the Hemisphere. We undertake to
strengthen our national capabilities, as well as inter-American mechanisms, in
order to promote the sustainable use of our natural resources and advance
toward integral development, and to promote preservation of the environment in
a cooperative manner.
41. We recognize that global climate change could constitute
a threat, concern, or challenge for the security of the states of the
Hemisphere. We commit to working in coordination in order to mitigate the
adverse effects that global climate change could have on our states and to
develop cooperation mechanisms in accordance with the international efforts in
this field. /
IV. INSTITUTIONAL ISSUES
42. We reaffirm our commitment to revitalize and strengthen
the organs, institutions, and mechanisms of the inter-American system related
to the various aspects of hemispheric security to achieve greater coordination
and cooperation among them, within their areas of competence, in order to
improve the ability of the American states to meet the traditional threats, as
well as the new threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric
security.
43. We recommend that, within the OAS, the Committee on
Hemispheric Security coordinate cooperation among the organs, agencies,
entities, and mechanisms of the Organization 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 this Declaration.
44. We also recommend that the Committee on Hemispheric
Security 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 this Declaration.
45. We recognize with satisfaction the recommendations
presented by CICAD, CICTE, and the Consultative Committee of CIFTA and
recommend that, on the basis of these, the Committee on Hemispheric Security
develop strategies and integrated action plans related to these new threats,
concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security.
46. We express our appreciation for the recommendations of
the specialized conferences and meetings of the inter-American system and we
recommend that the Committee on Hemispheric Security give them due
consideration in its work plans and, when appropriate, in developing
coordinated strategies and integrated plans of action related to the new
threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security.
47. Similarly, we express our appreciation to civil society
for its contributions and recommend that, when appropriate, the Committee on
Hemispheric Security give them due consideration in its work related to the new
threats, concerns, and other challenges to hemispheric security.
48. We recommend that the Permanent Council, through the
Committee on Hemispheric Security, 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.
49. We reiterate the need to clarify the juridical and
institutional relationship between the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) and
the OAS. Thus, we recommend that the Permanent Council, through the Committee
on Hemispheric Security, taking into account what is stated in Article 54,
subparagraphs (a) and (b) of the OAS Charter and in accordance with the
criteria set forth in the General Assembly resolutions on this matter, in
particular resolution AG/RES. 1240 (XXIII-O/93) -- “advice and the delivery of
consultancy services of a technical-military character which in no case may
have an operational nature”--; resolution AG/RES. 1848 (XXXII-O/02) --
“including the principle of civilian oversight and the democratic formation of
its authorities”--; and AG/RES. 1908 (XXXII-O/02) and AG/RES. 1940
(XXXIII-O/03) -- “to provide the OAS with technical, advisory, and educational
expertise on defense and security issues”--, complete the analysis of the
relationship between the IADB with the OAS and that it submit recommendations
to the thirty-fourth regular session of the General Assembly so that it can
determine the norms that govern that relationship and the mandate of the IADB.
The Permanent Council through the Committee on Hemispheric Security will
maintain regular contact with the authorities of the IADB for the purposes of
this paragraph.
50. We emphasize 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.
51. We recommend that, periodically, the Committee on
Hemispheric Security meet as the “Forum for Confidence- and Security-Building
Measures” in order to review and evaluate existing confidence- and
security-building measures and, if appropriate, consider new measures that will
make it possible to ensure progress in this area.
52. We recommend that the General Assembly strengthen the
capacity of the General Secretariat to better serve the member States and the
political bodies of the Organization on matters of hemispheric security,
including substantive and secretariat support to the Committee on Hemispheric
Security.
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