PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CSH-732/05 rev. 2
16 November 2005
COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: English/Spanish
WORK PLAN 2005-2006
(Considered at the meetings of September 6 and 20, and October 11, 2005
and adopted at the meeting of October 11, 2005)
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The amendments to the Work Plan agreed upon by the Committee are to be found on pp.5ff. The introductory note signed by the Committee Chair is the same as the one accompanying the original version of this document.
At its meeting of October 11, 2005, the Committee considered that it would be better to divide its work into four, rather than three, thematic areas, based on the distribution of mandates agreed upon by the Permanent Council (document CP/doc.4049/05 rev. 1). This aspect of the Work Plan will be submitted for consideration by the Permanent Council.
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COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY
WORK PLAN 2005-2006
(Considered at the meetings of September 6 and 20, and October 11, 2005
and adopted at the meeting of October 11, 2005)
In my capacity as Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security, I am pleased to submit this Draft Work Plan (CP/CSH 732/05) to the members of the Committee for consideration.
INTRODUCTION
This report is being presented three months after the assumption of office of the new Secretary General of the Organization, who has emphasized the importance of enhancing the role of the OAS and has singled out development, security, democracy, and human rights as its priority concerns. This coincides with the debate in the United Nations regarding its reform process and analysis of the U.N. Secretary-General’s report entitled “In larger freedom: towards development, security and human rights for all.” This convergence between the visions espoused by the global and the hemispheric organizations requires us to meet the challenge of seeking ways to complement and coordinate, rather than duplicate, efforts in order to make the most efficient use possible of the scant resources available to the OAS for executing its mandates.
Thus, one of the more important contributions our Organization has made in the area of security is the multidimensional approach adopted in the Declaration of Bridgetown and incorporated into the Declaration on Security in the Americas. The states of the Americas have 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 nontraditional threats, which include political, economic, social, health, and environmental aspects.”[1]/ This new, multidimensional concept of security “incorporates the priorities of each state, contributes to the consolidation of peace, integral development, and social justice, and is based on democratic values, respect for and promotion and defense of human rights, solidarity, cooperation, and respect for national sovereignty.”[2]/
On the basis of these shared values and approaches in the states of the Hemisphere, the Committee on Hemispheric Security is responsible for implementing and/or following up on the commitments and cooperation activities contained in the Declaration on Security in the Americas.
At its regular meeting of July 20, 2005, the Permanent Council instructed the Committee on Hemispheric Security to consider and take action on 17 General Assembly resolutions. The purpose of this Draft Work Plan is to organize the Committee’s schedule for the period from August 2005 to May 2006 to allow its work to be concluded before the thirty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly. In exceptional cases, where a specific date for completion of mandates is not defined, the schedule goes beyond May 2006, with a report to the Permanent Council on the work of the Committee projected for presentation prior to the June 2006 General Assembly session.
I would like to suggest that the Committee also take into consideration other General Assembly resolutions that are directly related to its agenda and coordinator role with respect to the application, evaluation, and follow-up to the Declaration on Security in the Americas, including resolutions “Observations and Recommendations on the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Drug Abuse Control (CICAD)” [AG/RES. 2098 (XXXV-O/05)], “Fighting the Crime of Trafficking in Persons” [ [AG/RES. 2118 (XXXV-O/05)], “Support for the Work of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism [AG/RES. 2137 (XXXV-O/05)], “Social Chart of the Americas: Renewal of the Hemispheric Commitment to Fight Extreme Poverty in the Region” [AG/RES. 2139 (XXXV-O/05)], and “Promotion of Hemispheric Cooperation in Dealing with Gangs” [AG/RES. 2144 (XXXV-O/05)].
In order to assist in the timely and most fruitful accomplishment of the goals set for the Committee for this period, I propose taking the following steps:
Firstly, I will remain in close contact with the permanent representatives whose governments took the initiative with respect to the resolutions that have now been assigned to the Committee, so that we can work together to attain their objectives. I will also be consulting with the heads of the various bodies mentioned in the resolutions so that we may benefit from their expertise in their respective areas of competence as we plan the specific actions to be taken by the Committee. Given the unique role that the General Assembly assigns to the Committee on the basis of the recommendations contained in the Declaration on Security in the Americas as coordinator of cooperation among the organs, agencies, entities and mechanisms of the Organization and of the inter-American system in matters related to security, it is imperative to engage all of them so that the Committee can have an informed overview of the work being done throughout the Organization and be better equipped to develop coordinated strategies and integrated plans of action related to the new threats, concerns and other challenges to hemispheric security.
Secondly, being cognizant of the budgetary restraints within which our Organization is currently functioning and of the consequent need to economize on resources, I consider that the responsible approach to fulfilling the mandates is to first determine budgetary implications of each mandate assigned to the Committee. I intend to present the Committee and the Permanent Council with budgets for activities that so require and have suggested some of these in the detailed table included in this Draft Work Plan. The agenda set for this Committee may give rise to results-oriented actions if the items on it are addressed in a thorough manner and appropriate funding is available.
Thirdly, in keeping with the need indicated by the Permanent Council to establish a scale of priorities, Committee members will be asked to collaborate in setting a realistic and practical calendar for complying with the mandates, bearing in mind the limited time, human and financial resources available. This could mean that some mandates for which there is no specific deadline will be scheduled for completion post-June 2006. It also means that, as has been done in the past, related topics will be considered at the same session, notwithstanding that the mandate calls for a special meeting. This will allow for more harmonized attention to topics, interaction among experts in similar fields, and the Committee to share its perspective and plan on those matters with all the regional and international experts at the same time. Also in this context, I propose that as we address issues, we also seek to conclude with clear recommendations and as far as possible prepare them in the form of draft resolutions to be submitted to the Permanent Council. This is a longstanding goal of this Committee whose merits I need not reiterate, and I will work with the members to achieve this.
In this context, I would like to underscore the following mandates of the Committee (whereby the order in which they are listed does not imply any ranking):
· Completion of the analysis of the juridical and institutional link between the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Defense Board [AG/RES. 2117 (XXXV-O/05, operative paragraph 5). As a reminder, this mandate dates back to a decision taken at the Second Summit of the Americas (in April, 1998), so that it is necessary to fulfill it by the established deadline: December 31, 2005.
· Natural disaster reduction and risk management in the framework of the joint consultative body of the Committee on Hemispheric Security (CSH) and the Permanent Executive Committee of the CIDI (CEPCIDI), to be established to carry out four specific tasks[3]/ [AG/RES. 2114 (XXXV-O/05), operative paragraph 4]. The General Assembly decisions in this area call for the adoption of immediate measures and, hence, a prompt start of the work to be done.
· Consideration, from a strategic point of view, of how extreme poverty erodes social cohesion and undermines the security of states [AG/RES. 2115 (XXXV-O/05), operative paragraph 2]. This mandate, which calls for a seminar to be held in the third quarter of 2006, originated in the Special Conference on Security (Declaration on Security in the Americas, paragraph 4.m), where it is included as one of the new threats, concerns, and challenges to security. Given that in 2006 negotiations will be underway for the Social Charter of the Americas and its Plan of Action, it would be useful to draw on the outcomes as a contribution to the agenda of the afore-mentioned seminar.
· Review of implementation of the Declaration on Security in the Americas [AG/RES. 2117 (XXXV-O/05), operative paragraph 3]. This mandate is one of the core responsibilities of the Committee, and one that involves considerable work with numerous components. As a result, there is an urgent need to establish working procedures for organizing the meeting in 2006
With respect to this Draft Work Plan itself, for ease of reference, the mandates have been organized into the three general topics dealt with in the Committee, with texts cited from the resolutions (Table I, attached): A. Security in the Americas; B. Action against antipersonnel land mines; and C. Treaties, conventions, and topics related to disarmament and nonproliferation. Also included are sections on the activities to be carried out by the General Secretariat (Table II) and by the organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system (Table III) which the Committee should take into account in considering the various mandates.
Having seen the crucial role of the Committee and of the Organization in increasing transparency and confidence among states, it is important for member states to respond to requests from the General Assembly to exchange information and share experiences on related matters. For ease of reference, a list of the reports requested this year by the General Assembly has been included, but standing reporting responsibilities should continue to be met.
I am pleased to present this Draft Work Plan and will welcome the members' suggestions on the methodologies proposed in it, as well as your support in achieving the ambitious and worthy goals set for the Committee by the General Assembly and the Permanent Council.
Esteban Tomic Errázuriz
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile
Chair, Committee on Hemispheric Security
August 24, 2005
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I. RESOLUTIONS PERTAINING TO HEMISPHERIC SECURITY
ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS THIRTY-FIFTH REGULAR SESSION
AND ASSIGNED TO THE COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY
BY THE PERMANENT COUNCIL[4]/
A. Security in the Americas
1. AG/RES. 2110 (XXXV-O/05) Inter-American Convention on Transparency in Conventional Weapons Acquisitions
2. AG/RES. 2112 (XXXV-O/05) Special Security Concerns of the Small Island States of the Caribbean3
3. AG/RES. 2113 (XXXV-O/05) Transparency and Confidence- and Security-Building in the Americas
4. AG/RES. 2114 (XXXV-O/05) Natural Disaster and Risk Management
5. AG/RES. 2115 (XXXV-O/05) Addressing Extreme Poverty, Inequality, and Social Exclusion as a Means of Strengthening Hemispheric Security
6. AG/RES. 2117 (XXXV-O/05) Follow-Up to the Special Conference on Security
7. AG/RES. 2152 (XXXV-O/05) Limitation of Military Spending
B. Action against antipersonnel mines
8. AG/RES. 2105 (XXXV-O/05) Support for Action against Antipersonnel Mines in Ecuador and Peru
9. AG/RES. 2106 (XXXV-O/05) Support for the Program of Integral Action against Antipersonnel Mines in Central America
10. AG/RES. 2142 (XXXV-O/05) The Americas as an Antipersonnel-Land-Mine-Free Zone
C. Treaties, conventions, and topics related to disarmament, arms control, and nonproliferation
11. AG/RES. 2104 (XXXV-O/05) Consolidation of the Regime Established in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco)
12. AG/RES. 2107 (XXXV-O/05) The Americas as a Biological- and Chemical-Weapons-Free Region
13. AG/RES. 2109 (XXXV-O/05) Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Education
14. AG/RES. 2111 (XXXV-O/05) Inter-American Support for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
D. Actions against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials and against the proliferation of and illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons
15. AG/RES. 2094 (XXXV-O/05) Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials
16. AG/RES. 2108 (XXXV-O/05) Proliferation of and Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons
17. AG/RES. 2145 (XXXV-O/05) Denying MANPADS to terrorists: Control and Security of Man-Portable Air Defense Systems
II. WORKING GROUP
1. Working Group to Conclude the Analysis of the Juridical and Institutional Link between the OAS and the Inter-American Defense Board
- August 2005 to December 31, 2005
- AG/RES. 2118, operative paragraph 5
- Reference documents: CP/CSH-680/05 rev. 1 and CP/CSH-717/05 corr. 1
III. JOINT CSH-CEPCIDI ACTIVITIES
1. Natural Disaster Reduction and Risk Management
- Joint Consultative Committee of CSH and CEPCIDI
- August 2005-May 2006
- AG/RES. 2114, operative paragraph 4
2. Addressing Extreme Poverty: Inequality and Social Exclusion as a means of Strengthening Hemispheric Security
- Seminar with the participation of government experts, international organizations, and representatives of civil society, to consider from a strategic point of view, how extreme poverty erodes social cohesion and undermines the security of states
- Third quarter of 2006
- AG/RES. 2115, operative paragraph 2
IV. SPECIAL MEETINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
1. Consolidation of the Regime established in the Treaty of Tlatelolco – CSH meeting with the support of OPANAL and participation of the UN and other international organizations competent in the area