AG/RES. 1648 (XXIX-O/99)

PROMOTION OF REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY

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

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

BEARING IN MIND that the Charter of the Organization of American States establishes in its preamble "that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace and development of the region" and that one of its purposes is "to promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of nonintervention";

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council (AG/doc.3830/99) and, in particular, the chapter on the Report of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs (CP/CAJP-1506 rev. 3) as it relates to the promotion of representative democracy;

CONSIDERING:

Resolution AG/RES. 1063 (XX-O/90), which requested the Secretary General "to establish within the General Secretariat a Unit for the Promotion of Democracy," and resolution CP/RES. 572 (882/91), in which the Permanent Council adopted the Program of Support for the Promotion of Democracy; and

That, pursuant to resolution CP/RES. 572 (882/91), the Unit "will be available to perform such tasks as the competent authorities may entrust to it in support of democracy in the Hemisphere";

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT resolutions AG/RES. 1080 (XXI-O/91), AG/RES. 1402 (XXVI-O/96), AG/RES. 1475 (XXVII-O/97), and AG/RES. 1551 (XXVIII-O/98), "Promotion of Representative Democracy," in which the Permanent Council was instructed to prepare a series of proposed incentives to preserve and strengthen democratic systems; and

RECALLING:

That, in the 1991 Santiago Commitment to Democracy and the Renewal of the Inter-American System, the foreign ministers and heads of delegation of the member states declared their inescapable commitment to the defense and promotion of representative democracy and human rights in the region, in keeping with the principle of nonintervention;

That, in the Declaration of Managua for the Promotion of Democracy and Development, of 1993, the foreign ministers and heads of delegation of the member states declared that the support and cooperation provided by the OAS–to strengthen democratic institutions through programs that help the states requesting such assistance increase their own ability to improve their political organization models–are fundamental to this new hemispheric commitment; and, in that regard, they underscored the contribution made by the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy and the Permanent Council toward preparing proposed incentives for the preservation and strengthening of democratic systems in the Hemisphere;

That, in the Declaration of Principles of the First Summit of the Americas, held in Miami in December 1994, the Heads of State and Government declared that democracy is the sole political system which guarantees respect for human rights and the rule of law while it safeguards cultural diversity, pluralism, respect for the rights of minorities, and peace within and among nations, and that democracy and development reinforce one another;

That, in the Santiago Declaration of the Second Summit of the Americas, held in Santiago, Chile, in April 1998, the Heads of State and Government reiterated the importance of strengthening democratic systems in the Hemisphere; and

That the Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas urges governments to enhance cooperation with and support for the efforts of the Organization of American States in this area,

RESOLVES:

1. To take note of the report of the Permanent Council on the promotion of representative democracy.

2. To instruct the Permanent Council, through the Working Group on Representative Democracy, to:

a. Continue to provide follow-up and give guidance, as necessary, to the General Secretariat regarding its activities in the area of democracy–particularly to the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy in the pursuit of its objectives and the implementation of its work plans;

b. Promote cooperation in related activities and coordination between the UPD and the various organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS in order to increase the impact of the Organization’s activities to promote and defend representative democracy in the region as well as to guarantee the efficiency of such activities;

c.. Request the General Secretariat, through the UPD and in coordination with the organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS, to keep updated the annual inventory on the activities related to the promotion of representative democracy carried out in the Organization;

d. Study and approve, by the end of 1999, the UPD work plan for the year 2000, ensuring that the work plan includes activities in support of the mandates on the promotion and defense of democracy set forth in the plans of action of the Summits of the Americas that have been assigned to the OAS;

e. Instruct the General Secretariat to pursue, through the UPD, the design and implementation of programs geared to the promotion, exchange, and training of young leaders of the Hemisphere; report periodically to the Permanent Council on progress made in this area; and present plans for a hemispheric event that will reflect the experience gained from the courses and seminars organized by the UPD in various subregions of the Hemisphere, within the resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources;

f. Continue examining the quarterly progress reports on the activities of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy, including data on the level of budgetary execution, which will be presented by the General Secretariat within 45 days following the end of each quarter, and include its comments and observations in its annual report;

g. Continue work on formulating proposed incentives to preserve and strengthen democratic systems in the Hemisphere.

3. To instruct the General Secretariat to continue, through the UPD and in accordance with the resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources, to conduct studies and seminars and to promote or sponsor efforts related to the promotion of democracy in the region.

4. To instruct the General Secretariat to continue, through the UPD, and pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1599 (XXVIII-O/98), to facilitate dialogue among the parliaments of the Hemisphere within the framework of the OAS, using the resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources.

5. To encourage the UPD to keep member states well informed, through the Working Group on Representative Democracy, regarding implementation of the activities contemplated in its work plan, in order to ensure that they are well publicized throughout the Hemisphere.

6. To take note of the Manual for the Organization of Election Observation Missions in the Framework of the OAS and to request the General Secretariat to prepare a revised version of it, taking into account the observations made by the Working Group on Representative Democracy.

7. To instruct the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirtieth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.