AG/RES. 1657 (XXIX-O/99)

RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROMOTE ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN THE MEMBER STATES OF CICAD

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

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN:

The observations and recommendations of the Permanent Council on the reports of the organs, agencies, and entities of the Organization of American States, presented pursuant to Article 91.f of the OAS Charter (AG/doc.3830/99 add. 2) and, in particular, those on the Annual Report of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) (CP/doc.3175/99); and

The final report of the Meeting of the CICAD Group of Experts on Alternative Development, held in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, from September 22 to 24, 1998;

REAFFIRMING its adherence to the principles and purposes set forth by the OAS in the Inter-American Program of Action of Rio de Janeiro against the Illicit Use and Production of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Traffic Therein; the Declaration and Program of Action of Ixtapa; the Inter-American Program of Quito: Comprehensive Education to Prevent Drug Abuse; and the Anti-Drug Strategy in the Hemisphere, adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS in Lima [AG/RES. 1458 (XXVII-O/97)], in June 1997;

CONSIDERING:

That the CICAD Groups of Experts are open to all member states and provide an opportunity to share experiences, put forward initiatives, and promote cooperation;

That hemispheric cooperation against the production, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs is governed by principles of international law, of shared responsibility, and by a balanced approach paying equal attention to the different manifestations of the drug problem;

The drug control initiatives contained in the Plan of Action of the First Summit of the Americas, held in Miami, in 1994, in the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action of the Second Summit of the Americas, held in Santiago, Chile, in April 1998, and the activities undertaken by CICAD to implement them; and

RECOGNIZING the importance of horizontal cooperation as one of the useful instruments for fostering alternative development,

RESOLVES:

1. To note with satisfaction the final report of the Meeting of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) Group of Experts on Alternative Development, held in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, from September 22 to 24, 1998, and adopted by CICAD at its twenty-fifth regular session.

2. To urge international lending institutions to support joint and individual efforts of the states of the region in the area of alternative development.

3. To respect and welcome the support being given by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in cooperation with CICAD, to alternative development activities and programs in the region.

4. To support fully governments that have undertaken alternative development activities in their negotiations with the international financial community to enter into debt reduction operations in exchange for alternative development initiatives.

5. To underscore the importance of the conclusions and recommendations of the Group of Experts, urging member states and financial institutions, wherever possible and relevant, to consider implementing debt swap or debt-reduction operations in exchange for environmental protection and recovery initiatives in areas where alternative development programs are carried out, and to maintain commercial preferences for products or services provided through alternative development programs.

6. To express its appreciation for the offers made by Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru to share their experience with all interested countries in the Hemisphere, through technical assistance allowing this necessary exchange to be made.

7. To assign to the Executive Secretariat of CICAD the resources required to support the member states in formulating, implementing, and evaluating alternative development programs and activities in accordance with resources allocated in the program-budget and other resources.