THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE COUNTRIES OF THE HEMISPHERE

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN:

The Declaration of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Americas; and

The Declaration of Santiago and the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas;

RECOGNIZING:

That climate change is a common concern of humankind; and

The continuing need for scientific research into the sources and effects of climate change and its possible adverse impacts, including the socio-economic and environmental consequences on the countries of the Hemisphere;

NOTING:

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Buenos Aires Plan of Action; and

The Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island States, including the five-year review which took place at the United Nations in September 1999;

ACKNOWLEDGING:

The urgent need by all member states to begin the process of planning for adaptation to global climate change and to put in place measures to mitigate the possible adverse effects of climate change on the countries of the Hemisphere; and

The active participation of the governments of CARICOM member states in the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Global Climate Change Project, funded by the Global Environmental Facility through the World Bank and executed by the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States with the University of the West Indies Center for Environment and Development;

RECALLING:

AG/RES. 1674 (XXIX-0/99) which instructed the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to examine ways to address climate change in the Americas; and

That in resolution AG/RES. 1682 (XXIX-O/99) the member states established The Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction and resolved "to promote the exchange of technical and scientific personnel in the area of research into adverse events" that have harmful socio-economic and environmental impacts on the countries of the Hemisphere,

RESOLVES:

1. To instruct the Council for Integral Development (CIDI), through its appropriate subsidiary bodies, to keep this topic under review, bearing in mind the need to avoid duplication of work in other fora.
2. To instruct the General Secretariat to seek to mobilize resources to assist member states in their efforts to adapt to climate change.
3. To instruct the CIDI to report to the thirty-first regular session of the General Assembly on the implementation of this resolution.