AG/RES. 2068 (XXXV-O/05)

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

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 7, 2005) 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 

Having seen the Annual Report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly (AG/doc.4376/05 add. 3), in particular as it pertains to the implementation of resolution AG/RES. 2040 (XXXIV-O/04), “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, held in Quebec City, Canada, in April 2001, 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 in the Declaration of Nuevo León, adopted at the Special Summit of the Americas, held in Monterrey, Mexico, in January 2004, the Heads of State and Government urged all countries “to participate actively in the Network on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters,” which constitutes one of the concrete outcomes of the REMJAs; 

BEARING IN MIND that in the Declaration on Security in the Americas, adopted in Mexico City in October 2003, the states of the Hemisphere reaffirmed “that the Meetings of Ministers of Justice or Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA) and other meetings of criminal justice authorities are important and effective fora for promoting and strengthening mutual understanding, confidence, dialogue, and cooperation in developing criminal justice policies and responses to address new threats to security”; 

ACKNOWLEDGING the establishment of the Mechanism to Follow Up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women, “Convention of Belém do Pará” (MESECVI); and 

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that REMJA-V recommended “that the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-VI) take place in 2006 and that the OAS General Assembly charge the Permanent Council of the OAS to set a date and site for REMJA-VI,” 

RESOLVES: 

1.                   To instruct the Permanent Council to follow up, in a manner it deems appropriate, on the technical meetings held pursuant to the conclusions and recommendations of the Meetings of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas” and resolution AG/RES. 2040 (XXXIV-O/04), in particular the following, and on their results:

·                     The First Meeting of Central Authorities and Other Experts on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition, held in Ottawa, Canada, in April and May 2003;

·                     The Third Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Cyber-Crime, held in June 2003 at OAS headquarters, in Washington, D.C.;

·                     The First Meeting of the Group of Officials Responsible for the Penitentiary and Prison Policies of the OAS Member States, held in October 2003 at OAS headquarters, in Washington, D.C.;

·                     The Meeting of Government Experts to Consider the Advisability of Developing a Hemispheric Plan of Action against Transnational Organized Crime, held in April 2005 at OAS headquarters, in Washington, D.C.;

·                     The Meeting of Experts on Cooperation with respect to the Denial of Safe Haven to Corrupt Officials and Those Who Corrupt Them, Their Extradition, and the Denial of Entry and Recovery of the Proceeds of Corruption and Their Return to Their Legitimate Owners, in fulfillment of the Plan of Action of Managua on Additional Concrete Measures to Increase Transparency and Combat Corruption within the Framework of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (EPCICOR/doc.04/04 rev. 5, corr. 1, paragraph 9) and resolutions AG/RES. 2034 (XXXIV-O/04), operative paragraph 6.c, and CP/RES. 875 (1460/05), held on March 28 and 29, 2005, at OAS headquarters, in Washington, D.C. 

2.                   To request the Permanent Council to convene, in accordance with the “Conclusions and Recommendations of REMJA-V” and resolutions AG/RES. 2019 (XXXIV-O/04), AG/RES. 2026 (XXXIV-O/04), and AG/RES. 2040 (XXXIV-O/04), prior to the holding of REMJA-VI, the following technical meetings, taking into account the progress made during the preparatory process for said meetings: 

·                     The Second Meeting of Central Authorities and Other Experts on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition, to be held in Brasilia from September 1 to 3, 2005;

·                     The Fourth Meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts on Cyber-Crime, taking into account the conclusions of the subregional workshops held since the last meeting of the Group, which took place in June 2003 at OAS headquarters, in Washington, D.C.;

·                     The Second Meeting of the Group of Officials Responsible for the Penitentiary and Prison Policies of the OAS Member States;

·                     The Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, pursuant to resolutions AG/RES. 2019 (XXXIV-O/04), AG/RES. 2026 (XXXIV-O/04), and AG/RES. 2040 (XXXIV-O/04). 

3.                   To urge member states to participate actively in the REMJA Working Group on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition and to consider participating in the Hemispheric Information Exchange Network for Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition.  Likewise, to request said Working Group to continue informing the Permanent Council on its work; and to instruct the Office of Inter-American Law and Programs to continue providing its support.

4.                   To convene the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-VI), to be held in 2006 within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources; and to instruct the Permanent Council, with technical support from the Office of Inter-American Law and Programs of the General Secretariat, to carry out the preparatory work and set the date and place for the meeting. 

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