DECLARATION OF BRIDGETOWN
THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO HEMISPHERIC SECURITY
(Adopted at the fourth plenary session held on June 4, 2002)
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation, assembled in
Bridgetown, Barbados, on the occasion of the thirty-second regular session of
the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, considering the
topic “The Multidimensional Approach to Hemispheric Security”,
RECALLING that under Article 2 of the Charter of the Organization of American States, one of the essential purposes of the Organization is to strengthen the peace and security of the continent;
AFFIRMING that the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Heads of Delegation
during their dialogue at the thirty-second regular session of the General
Assembly recognized that security threats, concerns and other challenges in the
hemispheric context are of diverse nature and multidimensional scope, and that
the traditional concept and approach must be expanded to encompass new and
non-traditional threats, which include political, economic, social, health, and
environmental aspects;
RECOGNIZING:
That
many of the new threats, concerns and other challenges to hemispheric security
are transnational in nature and may require appropriate hemispheric
cooperation;
That these new threats, concerns, and other challenges are cross-cutting
problems that require multifaceted responses by different national
organizations, all acting appropriately in accordance with democratic norms and
principles;
That the new threats, concerns and other challenges to hemispheric
security may require a range of different approaches;
That the process of evaluating the new hemispheric security aspects
should take into account regional differences and characteristics; and
That there is an ongoing examination of the existing institutions of the
inter-American system related to the various aspects of hemispheric security
with a view to revitalizing and strengthening them to better respond to
emerging challenges,
RECALLING FURTHER:
That
the General Assembly has recognized, as reflected in its resolutions from 1991
to the present, the importance of confidence- and security-building measures
among member states to strengthen peace and security in the Hemisphere;
The
General Assembly decision to hold a Second High-Level Meeting on the Special
Security Concerns of Small Island States;
That
the Heads of State and Government, meeting at the Second Summit of the
Americas, instructed the Committee on Hemispheric Security to “analyse the
meaning, scope, and implications of international security concepts in the
Hemisphere, with a view to developing the most appropriate common approaches by
which to manage their various aspects, including disarmament and arms control”
and to “pinpoint ways to revitalize and strengthen the institutions of the
Inter-American System related to the various aspects of Hemispheric Security,”
with a view to holding a Special Conference on Security in the OAS framework,
once these and other tasks had been completed;
That
at the Third Summit of the Americas, the Heads of State and Government
reiterated their commitment to the holding of the Special Conference on
Security; and
That
at the Twenty-Third Meeting of Consultation, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs
agreed that the preparations for the Special Conference on Security should be
expedited; and
CONVINCED
that the development of common approaches to the various aspects of security in
the Hemisphere would lead to harmonization within the inter-American security
system and is therefore, essential for increasing confidence and security among
Member States,
DECLARE that the security of the Hemisphere encompasses political, economic, social, health, and environmental factors;
AGREE that Member States should seek to enhance and, where necessary,
develop appropriate and relevant mechanisms to deepen co-operation and
co-ordination in order to address in a more focused manner the new
multidimensional threats, concerns and other challenges to hemispheric
security;
DECIDE to include the multidimensional approach to hemispheric security
raised by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the Thirty-Second Regular Session
of the General Assembly as a topic on the agenda of the Special Conference on
Security, and to use the compendium of views expressed by the Ministers as a
base document for the consideration of the item;
AGREE that
the Special Conference on Security should consider appropriate recommendations
on coordinated strategies and integrated action plans, related to the new
hemispheric security threats, concerns and other challenges.
PL06016E01