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OAS Permanent Council Approves Plan of Action to Follow up on the Declaration of San Salvador on Citizen Security

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today approved in its ordinary session the submission for approval of the General Assembly the Hemispheric Plan of Action to follow up the Declaration of San Salvador on Citizen Security in the Americas, which was introduced by the Chairman of the Committee on Hemispheric Security and the Permanent Representative of Belize, Nestor Mendez.

The document approved, represents a reference guide for developing comprehensive national policies and programs in the Member States, and seeks to complement the mandates and recommendations adopted concerning citizen security to prevent and combat transnational organized crime, illicit arms trafficking, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, the global drug problem, money laundering, corruption, terrorism, kidnapping, criminal gangs, and technology-related crime in a comprehensive and effective manner.

The Plan of Action includes procedures to: prioritize strategies to prevent violence and rehabilitate and reintegrate into society people in conflict with the law, identify scientific methods to objectively assess citizen security and the specific risk factors in each country, promote and strengthen citizen and community participation mechanisms, including civil society organizations, the private sector and academia, and foster communication between governments and citizens during the design and implementation phase of public policies.

In reference to the implementation of integrated public policies that include citizen and community participation, the Plan of Action urges Member States to launch social and education programs that promote violence prevention and eradication; develop plans and programs to prevent and reduce criminal recidivism and ensure full rehabilitation and social reintegration of persons in trouble with the law and guarantee differential treatment, according to gender and age, of crime victims and of persons in trouble with the law.

On the chapter that refers to institution-building in the area of citizen security, the Commission on Hemispheric Security suggested the need to promote and strengthen inter-institutional coordination mechanisms among different government agencies directly or indirectly concerned with the issue of citizen security in member states; exchange training curriculum, promote the exchange of training instructors, and offer long distance training opportunities for officials responsible for security and law enforcement personnel at all levels, and develop national, subregional, and regional training and specialization activities with integrated content related to the issue. It further encourages the promotion and strengthening of national law in keeping with existing international instruments and applicable model legislation.

On the issue of international cooperation, Member States commit themselves to promote cooperation and technical assistance programs to further institution building; develop and strengthen cooperation and technical assistance mechanisms with different international, regional, and subregional organizations and agencies to facilitate the exchange of successful experiences and practices in the field of citizen security and foster the use of new technologies and virtual tools to facilitate discussion of skills, practices, and experiences.

Finally, on the actions proposed to foster mutual legal assistance in criminal matters at the hemispheric level, the proposals focused on adopting and strengthening multilateral and/or bilateral agreements on the issue and promote the harmonization of national norms, regulations, and procedures.

The text clarifies that the implementation of these actions must take into account the realities and priorities of each member state, based on recognition of the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and noninterference in the internal affairs of states.

The Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Honduras, Leónidas Rosa Bautista, announced that the document approved by the Council will be submitted for final approval at the next OAS General Assembly to be held in Cochabamba, Bolivia from June 3 to 5, 2012 .

The Declaration of San Salvador on Citizen Security in the Americas was adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 41st OAS General Assembly by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs who met in San Salvador between June 5 and 7, 2011. The document recognizes that “peace, security, democracy, human rights, development, and cooperation are the pillars of the inter-American system and that they are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.”

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-151/12