AG/RES. 1623 (XXIX-O/99)

CONFIDENCE- AND SECURITY-BUILDING IN THE AMERICAS

(Resolution adopted at the first plenary session, held on June 7, 1999)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council (AG/doc.3830/99) and, in particular, the section dealing with the Report of the Committee on Hemispheric Security (CP/CSH-180/99 rev. 3), which includes the subject "Confidence- and Security-Building in the Americas";

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

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), AG/RES. 1409 (XXVI-O/96), AG/RES. 1494 (XXVII-O/97), and AG/RES. 1566 (XXVIII-O/98), on confidence- and security-building measures;

EMPHASIZING the importance of the Declaration of San Salvador and the Declaration of Santiago on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, which recommend that confidence- and security-building measures be applied in the manner deemed most appropriate;

RECOGNIZING the consolidation of democracy in the region, efforts to promote disarmament and international peace and security, and the willingness of states to continue strengthening confidence and security in the Hemisphere;

NOTING the significant progress made in identifying and applying confidence- and security-building measures since the adoption of the Declaration of Santiago, which has helped to reduce factors that generate distrust and has contributed to the promotion of transparency and mutual confidence, in keeping with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the Organization of American States, respect for international law, and the promotion of friendly and cooperative relations among states in the region;

NOTING with satisfaction the request made by the Governments of Argentina and Chile on July 30, 1998, to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) that it develop a common methodology in order to facilitate the comparison of military expenditures of the two countries;

NOTING likewise with satisfaction the entry into force on December 26, 1997, of the Framework Treaty on Democratic Security in Central America and the Declaration of the Presidents of Central America and the Dominican Republic and the Representative of the Prime Minister of Belize on the Non Participation in the Acquisition of Strategic High-Technology and High-Cost Weapons of Mass Destruction, on November 6, 1997;

NOTING the results of the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas held in Cartagena de Indias from November 29 to December 3, 1998; and

REAFFIRMING:

That respect for international law, faithful adherence to treaties, the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for state sovereignty and the principle of nonintervention, and prohibition of the use or threat of use of force, as set forth in the Charters of the OAS and the United Nations (UN), are the basis for peaceful coexistence and security in the Hemisphere and constitute the framework for the development of confidence- and security-building measures; and

That the application of confidence- and security-building measures, through practical and useful actions, will facilitate more far-reaching cooperation processes in the future in areas such as arms control and hemispheric security,

RESOLVES:

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

2. To call on all member states to continue to provide to the Secretary General, prior to April 15 each year, information on the application of confidence- and security-building measures, so as to facilitate the preparation of the complete and systematic inventory of these measures, in light of the provisions of the Declaration of San Salvador and the Declaration of Santiago and resolutions AG/RES. 1284 (XXIV-O/94) and AG/RES. 1288 (XXIV-O/94); and to commend member states that have regularly submitted their reports to that end.

3. To request the Secretary General to maintain and facilitate access to the comprehensive inventory of confidence- and security-building measures which the member states have submitted pursuant to the previous paragraph.

4. To urge member states once again to continue promoting transparency in matters related to defense policy, among other aspects, with regard to modernizing the armed forces, including changes in their structure and composition, and acquisition of equipment and materiel, in addition to presenting information that will make it possible to compare military expenditures in the region.

5. To request the Permanent Council to consider, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, actions to promote the development and exchange of information concerning defense policies and doctrines.

6. To reiterate once again the importance of full participation by all member states in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and of providing the required information for the preparation of the United Nations Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures, in accordance with the pertinent resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly; and to renew its request that member states provide said information to the Secretary General by June 15 of each year.

7. To request the Permanent Council to take the necessary steps, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, to hold, no later than the first quarter of 2000, a meeting of parliamentarians on confidence- and security-building measures, as called for in the Declaration of San Salvador.

8. To urge member states once again to continue consultations and the exchange of ideas within the Hemisphere so as to make progress in the limitation and control of conventional arms in the region; and to instruct the Permanent Council to endeavor, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, to advance the development of the most appropriate approach making it possible, at the regional level, to increase transparency and address questions related to conventional arms.

9. To recall the mandate set forth in resolution AG/RES. 1566 (XXVIII-O/98), which instructed the Permanent Council to hold each year a special meeting of the Committee on Hemispheric Security with the participation of experts dedicated to the analysis and exchange of information on confidence- and security-building measures in the region, especially those identified in the Declaration of San Salvador and the Declaration of Santiago.

10. To request the Secretary General to update each year, on the basis of information submitted by the member states, the roster of experts on confidence- and security-building measures, and to circulate it to the member states each year by June 1.

11. To instruct the Permanent Council to continue to support the participation of the Committee on Hemispheric Security in other regional forums, such as the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas.

12. Likewise to instruct the Permanent Council to continue to encourage the exchange of experience in the area of confidence- and security- building measures with other regions, which may include the exchange of information between the Committee on Hemispheric Security and other international organizations working on the subject, such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.

13. To instruct the Permanent Council to hold, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, a seminar, attended by representatives of other regional organizations, for the exchange of experience on conflict resolution, the contribution of confidence- and security-building measures to conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict reconstruction.

14. To request the Permanent Council to hold, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, the next round of OAS-OSCE consultations in the year 2000 at the OAS.

15. To instruct the Permanent Council to consider, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, the possibility of holding, in due course, another regional conference on confidence- and security- building measures.

16. To instruct the Permanent Council to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution in keeping with resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources.

17. To renew its invitation to the Inter-American Defense to provide, pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1240 (XXIII-O/93), advisory and consultative services in matters related to confidence- and security-building measures of a military nature; and to request it to keep an updated inventory of these measures.

18. To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly on the implementation of this resolution.

19. To request the Secretary General to transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary General of the OSCE and to other pertinent regional organizations.