AG/RES. 1960 (XXXIII-O/03)

PROGRAM FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN THE AMERICAS 

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

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 

RECALLING that the OAS Charter establishes that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace, and development of the region; 

BEARING IN MIND that the Inter-American Democratic Charter reaffirmed the commitment of the governments of the Americas to the promotion and consolidation of democracy and that democracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the Americas; and 

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the adoption of the “Declaration of Santiago on Democracy and Public Trust:  A New Commitment to Good Governance for the Americas” [AG/DEC. 31 (XXXIII-O/03)], 

RESOLVES: 

1.         To reaffirm the commitment of the OAS member states to the full exercise and application in the Hemisphere of the democratic principles and values set forth in the OAS Charter, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other relevant international instruments.  

2.         To instruct the General Secretariat to hold, through the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy (UPD), a meeting of experts to prepare an analysis on the strengthening of democratic governance in the region and to present the analysis, along with its recommendations, to the Permanent Council for its consideration and transmission to the forthcoming Special Summit of the Americas, to be held in Mexico. 

3.         To instruct the Permanent Council to prepare, on the basis of the decisions of the Heads of State and Government at the Special Summit of the Americas, and with support from the UPD, a proposed “Program for Democratic Governance in the Americas,” to be presented to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth regular session.  

4.         To request the General Secretariat to coordinate actively with the member states and the regional financial bodies and agencies to identify and develop cooperation activities in the economic development sphere that help to enhance democratic governance in the region. 

5.         To instruct the Permanent Council and the General Secretariat to carry out the activities referred to in this resolution within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.