III.OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE ANNUAL
REPORTS OF THE ORGANS, AGENCIES, AND ENTITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION (ARTICLE 91.F OF THE CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES)
III.OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE ANNUAL
REPORTS OF THE ORGANS, AGENCIES, AND ENTITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION (ARTICLE 91.F OF THE CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES)
Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD)
To reaffirm that countering the world drug problem is a common and shared responsibility that must be addressed in a multilateral setting, that it requires an integral and balanced approach, and that it must be carried out in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and other provisions of international law, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights and, in particular, with respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, for the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs of states, and for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and on the basis of the principles of equal rights and mutual respect.
To reaffirm that the world drug problem should be addressed in accordance with the provisions in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol; the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971; and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988, which constitute the framework of the international drug control system.
To invite member states to implement or strengthen, as appropriate, a public-health and human rights perspective in their demand-reduction public policies founded on a scientific evidence-based, integral, multidisciplinary, intersectoral approach, in accordance with to their individual situations, that incorporates prevention, early intervention, treatment, care, rehabilitation, recovery and social reintegration measures.
To also invite member states to promote and put in practice prevention measures, including ones designed to counter social consequences associated with the world drug problem.
To establish an “alternatives to incarceration” working group within the framework of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD; to instruct said group to prepare a technical report on existing non-custodial alternatives for drug-related offenses in accordance with the three international drug control conventions, taking into account national legislative frameworks and the contents of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy and Plan of Action 2011–2015; and to instruct it to present [a progress report to CICAD at its fifty-sixth regular session and its final report at its fifty-seventh regular session .
To recommend that member states continue their efforts to adopt or improve comprehensive and balanced measures aimed at reducing the availability of the illicit supply of drugs.
To encourage member states to consider, as part of their national policies, comprehensive and sustainable alternative-development programs and measures—including, where appropriate, preventive alternative development, aimed at eliminating the factors that cause poverty, social exclusion, and environmental degradation, in order, inter alia, to avert the involvement of vulnerable populations in activities connected with illicit drug production and trafficking.
To invite member states to continue a broad, transparent, inclusive and scientific-based discussion within the framework of the three international drug control conventions and other relevant international instruments, and encourage discussion on approaches to address the world drug problem in the Hemisphere to enable the exchange of best practices and lessons learned to serve as input for the special session of the United Nations General Assembly to be held in 2016.
To reaffirm the importance of the Multilateral Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) as the inter-American instrument to evaluate drug control policies in the Hemisphere; to recognize the methodology introduced in the Sixth Evaluation Round of this mechanism to measure the progress of member states in attaining the objectives of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy of 2010, in accordance with the actions agreed upon in the Plan of Action 2011-2015; and to express thanks for the work of the general coordinators of the Governmental Expert Group (GEG) for the MEM’s Sixth Round and the experts that make up the GEG and the MEM Section of CICAD for their hard work. In this connection, to welcome the future accomplishment of the objectives of the GEG within the established timeframe and available resources.
To recognize the opportunity to strengthen the evaluation process to measure the impact of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy and its Plan of Action through, inter alia, the inclusion of indicators.
To invite member states to consider implementing within the legal framework of each member state the recommendations of the Group of Experts to Control Money Laundering, bearing in mind, inter alia, the following lines of action: strengthening the capacities of the authorities in charge of combating money laundering and related crimes; improvement of the efficiency of international cooperation in the area of asset recovery; development and/or strengthening of asset forfeiture systems, including asset investigation, the management of assets derived from crime and specialized units to address the issue; and advancing the study of methodological instruments to allow each country to develop its analysis of risk factors, in cooperation with specialized international organizations.
To take note of the discussions at the fifty-fifth regular session of CICAD on the special session of the OAS General Assembly to be held on September 19, 2014, in Guatemala, which will provide an opportunity to reflect on the world drug problem in the Americas in the context of international law, and instruct CICAD to provide inputs for said special session.
To take note of the “Conclusions of the Chair” (CICAD/doc.2069/13) on the fifty-fourth regular session of CICAD, held in Bogota, Colombia, from December 11 to 13, 2013, and of the “Conclusions of the Chair” (CICAD/doc.2113/14) on the fifty-fifth regular session of CICAD, held in Washington, D.C., from April 29 to May 1, 2014.
To endorse the Work Plan of the CICAD Executive Secretariat for 2014, in accordance with the CICAD Statutes and in fulfillment of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy and the Plan of Action 2011-2015, and entrust the Executive Secretariat to execute the corresponding actions and continue offering technical assistance to build capacities in member states, in accordance with this work plan.
To instruct the General Secretariat to continue offering the CICAD Executive Secretariat the necessary support and to encourage member states, permanent observers and other international donors to continue providing voluntary contributions to allow the Secretariat to continue executing its mandates.
Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE)
To invite member states to cooperate with the General Secretariat in implementing the commitments contained in the CICTE Work Plan for 2014 adopted by the member states of CICTE at its fourteenth regular session, including cooperation in its work areas of cybersecurity, border controls, legislative assistance and combating terrorism financing, critical infrastructure protection, and international cooperation.
To take note of the CICTE Chair’s initiative to seek ways to continue to improve the effectiveness of the meeting of National Points of Contact and the long-term financial sustainability of CICTE.
To instruct the General Secretariat to continue providing the CICTE Secretariat with the necessary support to ensure continuity in the implementation of its mandates, including support for convening and holding the fifteenth regular session of CICTE, scheduled to be held at the headquarters of the Organization, in Washington, D.C., from March 18 to 20, 2015, and of the thirteenth meeting of National Points of Contact to CICTE, which will take place in conjunction with that regular session, as well as the three one-day meetings to be held on December 5, 2014; January 23, 2015; and February 20, 2015, at the headquarters of the Organization.
To request the Chair of CICTE to report to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth regular session on the implementation of the mandates set out in the CICTE Work Plan.
Inter-American Defense Board (IADB)64/65/
T
o foster civilian-military relationships within the IADB, urging member states to constitute joint delegations and encouraging the appointment of civilian and military experts to the Council of Delegates and the working groups of the IADB.
To take note that the Inter-American Defense College achieved academic accreditation as a postgraduate institution and to invite member states to select civilian and military candidates to pursue their studies there.
To invite member states, should they deem it appropriate, to consider continuing to provide the IADB with the necessary financial and human resources to support this institution.
To request the IADB and the SMS to inform the CSH about their efforts to coordinate shared topics and to identify possible areas for improvement in military and defense issues.
continue to foster cooperation among the various defense forums and agencies in the Hemisphere for exchanging experiences on matters within their areas of responsibility, and to report to the CSH;
continue to participate, when applicable, in meetings and events on defense matters, and report to the CSH on its participation;
continue to provide technical, consultative, and educational advisory services to member states upon request; and
present reports, at the request of the CSH, on military and defense issues, particularly in relation to confidence- and security-building measures; the CITAAC; demining; stockpile management, security, and destruction; the institutional memory of the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas; humanitarian assistance; and search-and-rescue activities in disasters.
To request the IADB to convene a meeting of civilian and military officials in the first quarter of 2015 to consider the subject of white papers on defense.
To instruct the IADB to prepare, with the interested member states, a proposal for technical assistance services for mine clearing and stockpile destruction activities, with a view to making that proposal available to the SMS through the AICMA and the Program of Assistance for Control of Arms and Destruction of Munitions in Central America (PACAM), for future cooperation projects, and to present the results for consideration by the Permanent Council through the CSH.
To instruct the IADB to prepare a technical study on the handling, securing, and destruction of munitions and explosives and to present its findings to the Permanent Council through the Committee on Hemispheric Security.