About the Secretariat

The Secretariat was created by Executive Order on December 15, 2005, with the mission to coordinate the cooperation among the member States to fight threats to national and citizen security. Its mission responds to the objectives and principles adopted in the ¨Declaration on Security in the Americas¨ based among others, in the new multidimensional concept of security, and in that bases and purpose of security is the protection of human beings.

The Secretariat is composed of the Executive Office of the Secretary for Multidimensional Security and the following dependencies:

Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD)

The Executive Secretariat was established on 1986 to assist the Inter-American Drug Abuse Commission in strengthening the human and institutional capabilities and channels the collective efforts of its member States’ to reduce the production, trafficking, and use and abuse of drugs in the Americas. Its action programs are implemented to promote cooperation and coordination among the member countries.


Secretariat of The Iner-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE)

The Secretariat was created in 1999 to promote national, regional and international cooperation to prevent, combat and eliminate terrorism in the Americas.

The CICTE Secretariat’s eight capacity building programs are organized in five areas: border controls, critical infrastructure protection, counter-terrorism legislative assistance and combating terrorist financing, terrorism crisis management exercises on emerging terrorist threats, and promotion of international cooperation and partnerships.


Department of Public Security (DPS)

The Department of Public Security was created on 2006 to promote and strengthen integral, long-term public security policies that fully respect human rights.

The Department develops activities to combat organized crime, the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms, ammunition, explosives and related materials, trafficking in persons and criminal gangs. It also promotes activities to improve penitentiary systems, humanitarian demining, police training, legislative assistance and information systems on crime and violence.

DPS acts as Executive Secretariat of the Meetings of Ministers of Public Security (MISPA) of the Hemisphere, the first meeting of which took place in October 2008 in Mexico City.


Department of Defense and Hemispheric Security (DDHS)

The Department of Defense and Hemispheric Security was created in 2011 to support member States in conducting activities related to defense within the framework of modernization of ministries of defense.

Within that framework, promotes training, research and activities to aiming at sharing knowledge and best practices in the formulation of policies for defense and hemispheric security. Develops initiatives of education for peace; promotes and disseminates trust and security measures, thus seeking to promote openness, transparency and cooperation. Promotes arms control, limitation of conventional weapons and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and manages initiatives for institutional strengthening and cooperation for an integral approach to mitigation of disasters and complex emergencies.

DDSH acts as Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Convention on Transparency in the Acquisition of Conventional Weapons (CITAAC). Coordinates with the Technical Secretariat of the Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing and Trafficking of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials (CIFTA) and the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB).