AG/RES. 1924 (XXXIII-O/03)

MEETING OF MINISTERS OF JUSTICE OR OF MINISTERS OR ATTORNEYS GENERAL OF THE AMERICAS 

(Resolution adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 10, 2003) 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly (AG/doc.4156/03 add. 3), in particular as it pertains to on the implementation of resolution AG/RES. 1849 (XXXII-O/02), “Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas” (REMJA); 

RECALLING that, in the Plan of Action of the Third Summit of the Americas, the Heads of State and Government decided to continue to support the work done in the context of the REMJAs and the implementation of their conclusions and recommendations; 

RECALLING ALSO that REMJA-IV, convened within the OAS framework, recommended that a meeting of central authorities and other experts on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters be held to initiate a process aimed at the adoption of a hemispheric plan of action and to develop an information exchange network in this area; that a meeting be convened of officials responsible for the penitentiary and prison policies of the OAS member states, for the purpose, inter alia, of promoting the exchange of information and experiences among them; and that the Group of Governmental Experts on Cyber-Crime be reconvened to follow up on implementation of the recommendations made by that Group and adopted by REMJA-III; and

CONSIDERING the necessity and the importance of convening the Fifth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-V) for the purpose, inter alia, of considering the results of the technical meetings held in keeping with the recommendations of REMJA-IV and of continuing the process of strengthening cooperation among said authorities within their spheres of competence, 

RESOLVES: 

1.                   To request the Permanent Council to follow up as appropriate on the recommendations of the Meeting of Central Authorities and Other Experts on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, held in Ottawa, Canada, from April 30 to May 2, 2003, and the recommendations of the initial meetings of the Group of Governmental Experts on Cyber-Crime and the Authorities Responsible for Penitentiary and Prison Policies, to be held on June 23 and 24 and October 16 and 17, 2003, respectively, pursuant to Permanent Council resolution CP/RES. 839 (1359/03).

 

2.                   To convene the Fifth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-V), to be held during the first half of 2004, within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources; and to instruct the Permanent Council, with the technical support of the General Secretariat, to carry out the preparatory work and set the date for for that Meeting. 

            3.         To instruct the Permanent Council to present a report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.