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AG/RES. 1676 (XXIX-O/99)

SPECIAL PROGRAM OF SUPPORT TO COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY "EL NIŅO"

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

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY:

HAVING SEEN:

The Charter of the Organization of American States, in particular Articles 93, 94, and 95, and the Statutes of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), AG/RES. 1443 (XXVI-O/96); and

The Declaration of Santiago, adopted at the Second Summit of the Americas; the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001; resolution CIDI/RES. 11 (II-O/97), "Inter-American Program for Sustainable Development and Follow-up to the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development"; the Declaration and Strategic Plan of Action of Miami on Disaster Reduction and Sustainable Development; and resolutions CP/RES. 546 (834/90), "Participation by the Organization of American States in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction," CP/RES. 593 (922/92), "Support for the Theme ‘Natural Disaster Reduction for Sustainable Development’ of the World International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) Day – 1992," AG/RES 1584 (XXVIII-O/98), "Special Program of Support to Countries Affected by "El Niņo," and CIDI/RES. 64 (IV/O/99), "Special Program of Support to Countries Affected by "El Niņo";

CONSIDERING:

That the cyclical southern oscillation phenomenon known as "El Niņo" has had profound and disastrous effects on the Americas, causing significant human, material, economic, and environmental loss, the impact of which has continued, seriously affecting the economic and social development of the member states;

That national efforts in the affected countries require increased international cooperation and solidarity to forecast the phenomenon and thereby mitigate its negative social, economic, and environmental effects;

That member states assign special importance to the role of international organizations in taking precautions against, and thereby mitigating and reducing, the effects of disasters in member countries as part of their humanitarian, economic, and social responsibilities;

That the Inter-American Science and Technology Program, approved by the Fourth Regular Meeting of CIDI, identifies as one of its lines of action the development of research at the regional level on "El Niņo" and climate change; and

That the General Assembly instructed the Secretary General to conduct a study assessing the capacity of the Organization to prevent, mitigate, and repair the damage caused by El Niņo, taking into account the comparative advantages of the Organization and United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/52/200, "International Cooperation to Reduce the Impact of the El Niņo Phenomenon"; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the efforts of the United Nations to deal with this problem in the context of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, in particular through resolution A/RES/52/200,

RESOLVES:

1. To extend the mandates contained in resolution AG/RES. 1584 (XXVIII-O/98), "Special Program of Support to Countries Affected by ‘El Niņo’," in particular the study mentioned in operative paragraph 2, until its thirtieth regular session.

2. To instruct the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to develop an appropriate response to "El Niņo" when the study, and examination of it, have been completed and, in furtherance of the Second Summit of the Americas mandate to exchange information about the "El Niņo" phenomenon, to consider the advisability of convening, before the Fifth Regular Meeting of CIDI, an intergovernmental meeting of experts to contribute to defining this response.

3. To reiterate the call made to the member states, and agencies and organizations of the inter-American system, in particular the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as well as nongovernmental organizations working in this field, to intensify, within the framework of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, their cooperation with efforts aimed at preventing, mitigating, and repairing the damage caused by "El Niņo."

4. To instruct CIDI to report to the General Assembly at its thirtieth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.

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