AG/RES. 1574 (XXVIII-O/98)

SPECIALIZED CONFERENCES

(Resolution adopted at the third plenary session, held on June 2, 1998)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN:

Articles 73, 122, and 123 of the Charter of the Organization; subparagraph (e) of Article 3 of the Statutes of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI); resolution AG/RES. 85 (II-O/72), "Standards for Inter-American Specialized Conferences"; resolution AG/RES. 1521 (XXVII-O/97), "Reinforcement of Statistical and Computer Science Services for Partnership and Integral Development in the Hemisphere"; the document "Presentation of the Activities of CIE," prepared by the Chair of the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Statistical Conference (COM/CIE); the document "Proposal to Transform the Specialized Conference into an Inter-American Ports Commission and Its Regulatory, Budgetary, Administrative and Institutional Impact on the Organization," prepared by the Chair of the Permanent Technical Committee on Ports; resolution AG/RES. 108 (III-O/73), "Draft Organization Plan of the Pan American Highway Congresses"; resolution AG/RES. 1084 (XXI-O/91), "Organization Plan of the Inter-American Statistical Conference"; resolution AG/RES. 109 (III-O/73), "Organization of the Inter-American Travel Congresses"; and the recommendations contained in document CEPCIDI/doc.147/98, "Specialized Conferences";

Resolution CIDI/RES. 18 (II-O/97), "Specialized Conferences," which instructs the Permanent Executive Committee of CIDI (CEPCIDI) to "study those Specialized Conferences whose topics correspond to the areas of inter-American cooperation within the purview of CIDI, with a view to making recommendations, as appropriate, to adapt and reorient their work and structure in accordance with the Strategic Plan"; and

The recommendations contained in CIDI/RES. 28 (III-O/98), "Specialized Conferences"; and

CONSIDERING:

That CIDI has the authority to propose to the General Assembly the holding of specialized conferences, in areas within its competence, to deal with special technical matters or to consider specific aspects of inter-American cooperation; to convoke them in urgent cases, in the manner provided for in resolution AG/RES. 85 (II-O/72); and to coordinate, when appropriate, the holding of said specialized conferences in the framework of the specialized or sectoral meetings of CIDI;

That there is a need to reorient toward CIDI the dialogue currently taking place in some specialized conferences whose topics correspond to the areas of cooperation of CIDI;

That the specialized conferences created by the General Assembly and coordinated by the then Inter-American Economic and Social Council (CIES) have diverse legal frameworks, since they differ in structure, frequency of meetings, participants, and operating mechanisms;

That the activities of the Inter-American Travel Congress, the Inter-American Statistical Conference, the Inter-American Port and Harbor Conference, and the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor contribute to the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001;

That some of these specialized conferences are receiving financial resources to carry out projects and other cooperation activities;

That the Statutes of the Special Multilateral Fund of CIDI (FEMCIDI) permit the establishment of subaccounts as well as the use of specific funds as an additional financing mechanism which may be established with individual contributions from those national institutions that wish to promote the development of specific areas of cooperation;

That the Pan American Highway Congress has not met in seven years; and

That the Inter-American Statistical Conference and the Meeting of Statistics Directors of the Americas hold joint meetings every two years at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile,

RESOLVES:

1. To instruct the Inter-American Travel Congress to hold its meetings at the ministerial level within the framework of the sectoral meetings of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), in keeping with the priority of sustainable development of tourism established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001.

2. To instruct the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor to hold its meetings at the ministerial level within the framework of the sectoral meetings of CIDI, in keeping with the priority of social development and creation of productive employment established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001.

3. To instruct the Permanent Executive Committee of CIDI (CEPCIDI) to convene a special joint meeting of that body and the Inter-American Statistical Conference (CIE) at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Organization, prior to September 30, 1998, in order to decide on the participation of the CIE in the area of hemispheric cooperation and to delegate to CEPCIDI the authority to decide on the issue based on the outcome of the joint meeting. Meeting expenses shall be limited to the normal expenses of a regular meeting of CEPCIDI at the headquarters of the Organization.

4. To instruct CEPCIDI to draft a new legal framework which defines the structure and functioning of the specialized conferences in the framework of partnership for development.

5. To recognize the valuable contribution made by the Pan American Highway Congresses and to dissolve them so that OAS activities may focus on the priority areas established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001.

6. To instruct CEPCIDI to report to CIDI on the implementation of this resolution.