AG/RES. 1581 (XXVIII-O/98)

TRADE AND INTEGRATION IN THE AMERICAS

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

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the report of the Permanent Council and the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) on the implementation of AG/RES. 1516 (XXVII-O/97);

RECALLING:

Resolution AG/RES. 1516 (XXVII-O/97), "Trade and Integration in the Americas";

Resolution CIDI/RES. 46 (III-O/98), "Trade and Integration in the Americas";

Resolution AG/RES. 1430 (XXVI-O/96), "Trade and Integration in the Americas";

Resolution AG/RES. 1438 (XXVI-O/96), "Relationship between the Special Committee on Trade and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development";

Resolution AG/RES. 1349 (XXV-O/95), "Inter-American Summits Management"; and

Resolution AG/RES. 1220 (XXIII-O/93), "Establishment of the Special Committee on Trade (CEC)," in which member states noted that the Organization of American States (OAS) is an appropriate hemispheric forum for dialogue on trade matters;

BEARING IN MIND the Declaration of Santiago of the Second Summit of the Americas, in which the Heads of State and Government of the Hemisphere directed their ministers responsible for trade to begin negotiations for the FTAA, reaffirmed their determination to conclude the negotiation of the FTAA no later than 2005, and expressed their appreciation for the significant contribution of the Tripartite Committee;

NOTING with satisfaction the Ministerial Declaration of San José, adopted by the Ministers of Trade at their Fourth Ministerial Meeting in San José, Costa Rica, in which they recommended to their heads of state and government that they initiate negotiation of the FTAA in accordance with the objectives, principles, structure, venue, and other decisions set forth in their Declaration; acknowledged and again expressed their appreciation to the Tripartite Committee for the technical and logistical support given during the preparatory phase of the FTAA negotiations; and requested that the respective institutions of the Tripartite Committee continue to provide the appropriate existing resources for a positive response to requests for technical support from FTAA bodies, including the reallocation of funds for this purpose if necessary; CONSIDERING that economic diversification and integration, trade liberalization, and market access constitute one of the priorities established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001, and that the process of creating the FTAA is a fundamental element in this context; and

REAFFIRMING the commitment of the Organization of American States to support the process of free trade and economic integration in the Hemisphere and reiterating the importance of the contribution made by the General Secretariat and, in particular, the Trade Unit to this process,

RESOLVES:

1. To take note of the report of the Permanent Council and the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) on the implementation of resolution AG/RES. 1516 (XXVII-O/97), "Trade and Integration in the Americas."

2. To instruct the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to consider the results of the consultations with the Chair of the Special Committee on Trade (CEC) and the member states of the CEC in accordance with the instructions given to CEPCIDI by CIDI in CIDI/RES. 46 (III-O/98), paragraphs 1, 2, and 3, and to recommend appropriate action to the General Assembly at its twenty-ninth regular session.

3. To instruct the General Secretariat to continue providing analytical support and technical assistance through the Trade Unit, and conducting related studies in the context of the Tripartite Committee or as requested by the respective bodies established in the ministerial declaration of San José, Costa Rica, under the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process.

4. To instruct the General Secretariat to provide appropriate technical assistance related to FTAA issues to member countries, particularly smaller economies, at their requests, as agreed by the Trade Ministers in the Ministerial Declaration of San José.

5. To instruct CIDI to support projects, programs, and activities related to the priority areas of economic diversification and integration, trade liberalization, and market access, in keeping with the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001.

6. To reiterate its support for the collaborative activities on trade and integration of the Tripartite Committee, and to recognize the contribution to those activities of other specialized regional, subregional, and multilateral organizations and of regional and subregional institutions.

7. To instruct the Permanent Council to continue to provide the appropriate resources necessary for a positive response to requests for technical support from FTAA bodies, including the reallocation of funds for this purpose if necessary.

8. To instruct the General Secretariat to submit, by November 16, 1998, the 1999 annual work plan of activities of the Trade Unit to the CEC for its consideration and approval, or, in the event that the CEC does not meet, to CEPCIDI for approval ad referendum to the next regular meeting of CIDI.

9. To instruct the General Secretariat to continue providing semiannual written progress reports on the activities of the Trade Unit, including information on its level of budget execution, to the Permanent Council and CEPCIDI for their review.

10. To recognize the important achievements of the Foreign Trade Information System (SICE) and, in particular, the measures taken to broaden its trade and trade-related information and its client base and to support its continued operations, specifically the establishment of an official Internet home page for the FTAA process.

11. To instruct the General Secretariat to ensure coordination between the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development and the appropriate offices of the General Secretariat, particularly the Trade Unit, in their activities supporting the implementation of this resolution.

12. To direct that the mandates set forth in the preceding paragraphs be executed within the allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

13. To request the Permanent Council and CEPCIDI to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-ninth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.