AG/RES. 1494 (XXVII-O/97)

CONFIDENCE- AND SECURITY-BUILDING MEASURES IN THE AMERICAS

(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)

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;

RECALLING its resolutions AG/RES. 1121 (XXI-O/91) and AG/RES. 1123 (XXI-O/91) on strengthening 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), AG/RES. 1353 (XXV-O/95), and AG/RES. 1409 (XXVI-O/96) on confidence- and security-building measures;

EMPHASIZING once more the importance of the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, adopted on November 10, 1995, which recommended that confidence- and security-building measures be applied in the manner deemed most suitable;

RECOGNIZING:

That one of the essential purposes set forth in the Charter is to achieve effective limitation of conventional weapons that will make it possible to devote the largest possible amount of resources to the economic and social development of the member states;

That economic and social development and cooperation among the member states are essential for strengthening peace and security in the region;

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, applied in the manner that states deem most suitable, must be adapted to the geographic, political, social, cultural, and economic conditions of each country or region, and that they have their own scope, as experience in the Hemisphere has amply demonstrated;

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 the member states—one of the essential purposes set forth in the Charter; and

That pursuing and intensifying dialogue to strengthen peace, confidence, and security in the region is both necessary and timely;

RECEIVING WITH SATISFACTION the results of the consultations undertaken on the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures concerning the preparation of general guidelines for the development of a program of education for peace within the framework of the OAS; and

NOTING WITH GRATIFICATION the report of the Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security (AG/doc.3517/97),

RESOLVES:

1. To commend those member states that have begun to apply the recommendations of the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and of the General Assembly resolutions on the matter, and those that have presented the corresponding reports.

2. To urge once again those member states that have not yet done so to report to the Permanent Council, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security, on the application of confidence-and security-building measures.

3. To call on all member states to provide to the Permanent Council, through its 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, in particular, the 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).

4. To stress the importance for all member states to participate fully in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms in accordance with United Nations General Assembly resolutions 46/36 L and 47/52 L, and to provide the required information for the preparation of the United Nations Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures, as provided for in United Nations General Assembly resolution 46/25.

5. To reiterate its request to member states to provide the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), by May 15 of each year, with the information referred to in the preceding paragraph.

6. To renew the appeal to 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.

7. To reaffirm the urgent need to intensify the common struggle and cooperative action against extreme poverty, so as to help to reduce economic and social inequality in the Hemisphere and thus help to promote and consolidate democracy in the region.

8. To call on member states to continue the process of consultation with a view to making progress in the limitation and control of conventional weapons; and to instruct the Permanent Council, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security, to consider the matter.

9. To request the Permanent Council to intensify with the support of the General Secretariat, its efforts and its consultation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other institutions with a view to considering the advisability of holding a meeting of experts on the issue, so as to complete before the 50th anniversary of the OAS a program on education for peace in the Hemisphere, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

10. To encourage an exchange of experience in confidence- and security-building measures with other regions, including, when deemed appropriate, participation by the 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, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

11. To request the General Secretariat to complete and keep up-to-date the roster of experts in confidence- and security-building measures, which was agreed to in resolution AG/RES. 1409 (XXVI-O/96), so that they may conduct outreach courses, consultations, seminars, and studies as determined by the Permanent Council, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

12. To invite the Inter-American Defense Board to provide, pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1240 (XXIII-O/93) and when the Permanent Council so requests, advisory and consultative services on confidence- and security-building measures of a military nature to the Committee on Hemispheric Security and to update the 1995 inventory.

13. To instruct the Permanent Council to continue consideration of this matter, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, and to conduct periodic meetings for follow-up of resolution AG/RES. 1409 (XXVI-O/96), "Confidence- and Security-Building Measures in the Americas."

14. To further instruct the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.

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