Confidence and security-building measures

List of confidence- and security-building measures

Consolidated List of Confidence and Security Building Measures for Reporting according to OAS Resolutions (Approved at the meeting of January 15, 2009) CP/CSH-1043/08 rev. 1

Summary table of member states' reports on the application of confidence- and security-building measures for the period 1997 to 2005 CP/CSH-671/05 corr. 1

• Regional Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures in Santiago, 1995
  

• San Salvador Regional Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures
  in Follow-up to the Santiago Conference, 1998
   

1. Submit a comprehensive inventory of CSBMs that each member state is conducting in the hemisphere annually to the OAS.

2. Hold high-level meetings involving the ministries of defense and foreign affairs at the bilateral, subregional, and regional levels in order to provide for frank and direct dialogue on the joint evaluation of various aspects of defense and security and to exchange ideas and views with respect to the objectives of national defense policy, as well as the shared means of addressing common problems in this area.

3. Extend to diplomatic training institutes, military academies, research centers, and universities the seminars, courses, and studies envisioned in the Declarations of Santiago and San Salvador on confidence- and security-building measures and other issues related to peace and hemispheric security, with participation in those activities by government, civilian, and military officials and by civil society.

4. Notification and observance of joint exercises and routine operations, as each state considers necessary.

5. Advance notice of military exercises.

6. Conduct defense visit programs whereby the representatives from participating OAS member states visit defense installations and military academies.

7. Invite the Chair of the OAS Committee on Hemispheric Security to observe joint exercises in the Western Hemisphere.

8. Exchange of civilian and military personnel for both regular and advanced training.

9. Participate in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, including the provision and exchange of information on national production of conventional arms.

10. Participate in the UN Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures and exchange this information with other member states.

11. Develop common standardized methodologies for measuring defense expenditures among neighboring states.

12. Develop and exchange defense policy and doctrine papers (defense white papers).

13. Exchange information on the functions, procedures, and institutional organization of ministries of defense and security, and related and pertinent institutions.

14. Exchange information on the organization, structure, size, and composition of defense and security forces.

15. Consider cooperative activities that develop regional peacekeeping skills and capacity through common training, combined exercises, and exchange of information on peacekeeping.

16. Hold meetings and activities to prevent incidents and increase security for transport by land, sea, and air, and intensify cooperation in increasing security for transport by land, sea, and air in accordance with international law.

17. Strengthen cooperation and exchange of information among police, law enforcement, and military authorities of neighboring states in accordance with their border situation.

18. Establish, use, and exchange joint procedural manuals and credentials among armed forces and security bodies deployed in border regions.

19. Consider establishing, as appropriate, mutual confidence or security zones in border areas, in accordance with security, freedom of movement, and economic and commercial development needs of each state.

20. Conduct combined exercises between armed forces and/or public security forces, respectively, in compliance with the legislation of each state.

21. Develop and establish of communications among civilian or military authorities of neighboring countries in accordance with their border situation.

22. Intensify cooperation, within the framework of the OAS, in the fight against terrorism, drug interdiction, preventing illicit small arms and light weapons trafficking, combating piracy, preventing smuggling, search and rescue operations, and the protection of natural resources and archaeological goods.

23. Exchange information on security issues, such as the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons and the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, within the framework of the UN and OAS.

24. Identify excess stocks of small arms and light weapons as well as seized small arms and light weapons and, in accordance with national and international agreements in which they participate, define programs for the destruction of said weapons and to invite international representatives to observe their destruction.

25. Hold of seminars and courses, and studies on mutual confidence- and security-building measures and policies to promote confidence involving the participation of civilians and military personnel, and on the special security concerns of small island states.

26. Cooperation programs in the event of natural disasters or to prevent such disasters, based on the request and authorization of the affected states.

27. Establish national points of contact regarding natural disaster response, environmental security, transportation security, and critical infrastructure protection.

28. Exchange information regarding scientific and meteorological research related to natural disasters.

29. Increase cooperation in accordance with the guidelines of the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction and to mitigate the consequences of such disasters, based on the request and authorization of affected states.

30. Enhance multilateral cooperation among member states through the development and application of policies, programs, and activities regarding issues that are identified by the small island states as concerns, threats, and challenges to their security, and exchange and share information at the bilateral, subregional and regional levels on the special security concerns of small island states to strengthen their capacity to address these concerns.

31. Consider the following actions for early implementation aimed at enhancing the security-building capabilities of the small island states:
- Establish a Virtual Private Network to facilitate regional sharing of criminal intelligence and other relevant databases in the fight against terrorism.
- Share critical information among border control authorities to strengthen border control capacity in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism.
- Create joint training programs to allow existing entities to meet new challenges.
- Engage in joint strategic planning and cooperation in the fight against these common threats.

32. Cooperate closely to implement commitments agreed to at the 1998 Transportation Ministerial, active participation at the July 2003 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference on the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material, and to work together toward the continued strengthening of international standards regarding the maritime transport of potentially hazardous materials, including petroleum and radioactive materials.

33. Implement the relevant aspects of the program “Education for Peace” in the Hemisphere, adopted by OAS Permanent Council resolution CP/RES. 769/00.

34. Suggest and promote dialogue among hemispheric legislators within existing fora on confidence-building measures and on matters of peace and hemispheric security, including the exchange of visits and the convening of meetings.

35. Encourage exchanges and contacts between students, academics, and experts in defense and security studies.

36. Exchange and share experience and ideas on transparency and CSBMs with other regional security fora, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the African Union (AU).