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AG/DEC. 13 (XXVII-O/97)

COMMITMENT OF LIMA:
TOWARD A CULTURE OF PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE AMERICAS

(Adopted at the first plenary session, held on June 2, 1997)

We, the ministers of foreign affairs and heads of delegation of the member states of the Organization of American States (OAS), meeting in Lima on the occasion of the twenty-seventh regular session of the General Assembly, reaffirm, on behalf of our peoples and governments, that:

1. The OAS is the central framework and a fundamental instrument for strengthening peace and security in the Hemisphere and respect for the sovereignty and independence of member states; for promoting and consolidating representative democracy with respect for the principle of nonintervention; for fostering integral and sustainable development; and, in short, for achieving the ideals proclaimed in the OAS Charter and the other legal instruments approved in Bogotá in 1948, through the rule of international law, full respect for human rights, partnership for development, and social justice.

Consequently, it is imperative that the inter-American system and its instruments and strategies function in such a way as to respond effectively to the requirements and challenges faced by our peoples so that member states are able to translate into reality the decisions emanating from dialogue among countries of the region as well as from mechanisms for concerted action in which the heads of state and government of the Hemisphere have been engaged as they strive to promote cooperation for peace and development.

2. The OAS constitutes the principal instrument for consolidation of the new hemispheric relationship characterized by partnership for development. This historic opportunity calls for coordinated efforts to develop, strengthen, and refine existing mechanisms for concerted action.

On the basis of mutual respect, a spirit of cooperation, and a commitment to assume and share responsibilities and to establish carefully our priorities, we reiterate our willingness to pursue efforts to modernize the OAS to respond effectively to hemispheric concerns and to strengthen the support that the inter-American system gives to member states.

3. The promotion and consolidation of democracy and of respect for basic human rights are fundamental elements of inter-American cooperation and solidarity. To consolidate the achievements made thus far and to advance even further, it is necessary to persevere in our efforts to confront the challenges to the construction of democratic, stable, and prosperous societies and to ensure the observance of human rights. In order to attain these objectives, the OAS will continue playing a significant role.

Within the framework of the purposes and principles of the Charter, we will intensify cooperation to strengthen our democratic institutions; promote and protect human rights in all their dimensions; combat and eradicate terrorism, corruption, and illegal trafficking in narcotics and in arms, ammunition, and explosives, among other areas of common interest. We will continue to strive for the modernization of the state, maintaining the independence of the executive, legislative, and judicial powers. We will promote as well, as a priority, the education and civic training of our peoples through high-quality, comprehensive national policies which promote peace, friendship, tolerance, dialogue, solidarity, and understanding among our peoples.

4. Peace and development are essential purposes of the OAS. Effective limitation of conventional arms that will make it possible to devote the largest possible amount of resources to development, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and full respect for treaties contribute to achieving these ends. Overcoming extreme poverty and improving the welfare of our peoples cannot be postponed. Conserving the environment in the framework of sustainable development, implementing sound economic policies that direct attention to social investment, and gradual and steady progress toward trade integration in the Americas constitute interrelated tasks of high priority.

These purposes and priorities are the subject of a comprehensive, fruitful dialogue and of cooperative action among governments, and between them and all sectors of society. This is demonstrated by the progress achieved at the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and in the Second Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development in Mexico City, which approved the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001. The second Summit of the Americas, which will be held in Santiago in 1998, will give us the opportunity to make even greater progress in taking concrete actions in this direction.

5. International law, enriched by the norms and principles of the inter-American system, forms an essential part of the legal and political heritage of all member states. Faithful respect for it is indispensable for orderly, secure, and stable hemispheric coexistence, as well as for the consolidation of a culture of peace and development in the Americas.

We will support the development and appropriate preparation of inter-American legal instruments and promote the signing and ratification of, or accession to, currently existing ones. We will further the effective application of conventions and treaties in force, as well as their broader dissemination.

6. The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the OAS should be the opportunity to reinforce its process of modernization and institutional strengthening that will permit it to attain dynamically and functionally its purposes and principles.

To this end, we pledge to ensure continued dialogue and concerted action, with a view to the next millennium, so that we can make real progress toward the well-being of our peoples and toward the greater and more efficient participation of the Americas in the international arena.

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