AG/RES. 1409 (XXVI-O/96)

CONFIDENCE- AND SECURITY-BUILDING MEASURES IN THE AMERICAS

(Resolution adopted at the eighth plenary session, held on June 7, 1996)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

BEARING IN MIND that, under Article 2 of the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), one of the essential purposes of the Organization is to strengthen the peace and security of the Hemisphere;

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the decisions of the Regional Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, held in Santiago in November 1995, and of the Meeting of Experts on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, held in Buenos Aires in March 1994, as well as the OAS General Assembly resolutions, are noteworthy in that they identify experiences in the application of confidence- and security-building measures in the Americas and foster an exchange of such experiences;

NOTING that other intergovernmental meetings, such as the Defense Ministerial of the Americas held in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the invitation of the United States, contribute to dialogue and an exchange of views on this matter;

RECALLING:

Its decision, set forth in the 1991 Santiago Commitment to Democracy and the Renewal of the Inter-American System, to initiate a process of consultation on hemispheric security in light of the new conditions in the region and the world, from an updated and comprehensive perspective of security and disarmament, which would include the subject of all forms of proliferation of weapons and instruments of mass destruction and conventional weapons, so that the largest possible volume of resources may be devoted to the economic and social development of the member states, and to issue an international appeal to other competent organizations to join in the efforts of the OAS; and

Its resolutions AG/RES. 1121 (XXI-O/91) and AG/RES. 1123 (XXI-O/91) on the strengthening of peace and security in the Hemisphere, and AG/RES. 1179 (XXII-O/92), AG/RES. 1237 (XXIII-O/93), AG/RES. 1284 (XXIV-O/94), AG/RES. 1288 (XXIV-O/94), and AG/RES. 1353 (XXV-O/95), on confidence- and security-building measures;

EMPHASIZING the importance of the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, adopted on November 10, 1995, which recommended, in the best possible manner, the application of confidence- and security-building measures;

RECOGNIZING:

That the strengthening of peace and security in the region is an essential purpose of the OAS and that economic and social development and cooperation among its member states are fundamental to its achievement;

That the adoption of confidence- and security-building measures is a significant contribution to transparency, mutual understanding, and regional security, and to the attainment of development goals, including the eradication of poverty and protection of the environment;

That confidence- and security-building measures must be attuned to the geographic, political, social, cultural, and economic circumstances of each region, and that they have their own scope, as experience in the Hemisphere has amply demonstrated; and

That the application of confidence- and security-building measures helps establish a climate conducive to effective limitation of conventional weapons, which makes it possible to devote maximum resources to the economic and social development of member states, one of the basic purposes of the OAS Charter;

TAKING COGNIZANCE of the invitation extended by the Government of the Argentine Republic to the Defense Ministerial of the Americas to be held in San Carlos de Bariloche in October 1996 to continue the dialogue on building confidence and security in the region; and

NOTING with satisfaction the report and work of the Permanent Council's Committee on Hemispheric Security,

RESOLVES:

1. To urge all member states to implement, in the manner deemed most appropriate, the recommendations of the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and of resolution AG/RES. 1179 (XXII-O/92).

2. To invite all member states to provide to the Permanent Council's Committee on Hemispheric Security, prior to April 15 of each year, information on the application of confidence- and security-building measures, so as to facilitate preparation of the complete and systematic inventory of these measures, in light of the provisions of the Declaration of Santiago and resolutions AG/RES. 1284 (XXIV-O/94) and AG/RES. 1288 (XXIV-O/94).

3. To request all member states to provide the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) by May 15 of each year with the information submitted to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolutions 46/32L and 47/52L, and to the United Nations Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures, as provided for in United Nations General Assembly resolution 46/25.

4. To request the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, to hold a one-day meeting on the two United Nations confidence and transparency measures cited in the preceding paragraph in order to increase understanding of and participation in the measures and to allow for an exchange of views among the OAS member states.

5. To urge all member states to increase their mutual exchange of information on defense policies and doctrines so as to contribute to regional openness and transparency on matters of security.

6. To urge all member states to develop, adopt, and execute, as appropriate, confidence-building measures such as those outlined in the Declaration of Santiago, including prior notification of military exercises, invitations to observe military exercises, the development of means of communication, and special consideration of a process of consultation with a view to proceeding with conventional arms limitation and control.

7. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security and with support from the General Secretariat, draw up general guidelines for an education for peace program within the OAS, for presentation to the General Assembly at its twenty-seventh regular session.

8. To urge the member states to support and hold seminars, courses, and studies on confidence- and security-building measures and policies.

9. To encourage an exchange of experience in confidence- and security-building measures with other regions, including, when deemed appropriate, participation by the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security as an observer in meetings held by other international organizations working on the subject, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

10. To request the Permanent Council to establish, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security and with support from the General Secretariat, a roster of experts in confidence- and security-building measures, based on information provided by the member states so that they may conduct outreach courses, seminars, and studies of any measures determined by the Permanent Council.

11. To instruct the General Secretariat to provide necessary resources, subject to the availability of funds, to support the activities and work of the Committee on Hemispheric Security.

12. To invite the Inter-American Defense Board to provide advisory and consultative services to the Committee on Hemispheric Security for studies on confidence- and security-building measures, pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1240 (XXIII-O/93) and when the Committee so requests.

13. To request the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, to continue consideration of this matter, and to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-seventh regular session.

14. To transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to other regional organizations as appropriate.