U.S. Department of State

(Adopted at the fourth plenary session, held on June 3, 2008)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Permanent Council to the General Assembly (AG/doc.4820/08), in particular the section on the matters entrusted to the Committee on Hemispheric Security;

RECALLING that the ministers of foreign affairs and heads of delegation recognized, as stated in the Declaration of Bridgetown, that the security threats, concerns, and other challenges in the hemispheric context are diverse in nature and multidimensional in 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;

REITERATING that the security of small island states has peculiar characteristics which render these states specially vulnerable and susceptible to risks and threats of a multidimensional and transnational nature, involving political, economic, social, health, environmental, and geographic factors; and that multilateral cooperation is the most effective approach for responding to and managing the threats and concerns of small island states;

AWARE that the small island states remain deeply concerned about the possible threats posed to their economies and maritime environment should a ship transporting potentially hazardous material, including petroleum and radioactive material and toxic waste, have an accident or be the target of a terrorist attack while transiting the Caribbean Sea and other sea-lanes of communication in the Hemisphere;

RECOGNIZING that resolution AG/RES. 1970 (XXXIII-O/03) and the Declaration of Kingstown on the Security of Small Island States reaffirmed that the political, economic, social, health, and environmental integrity and stability of small island states are integral to the security of the Hemisphere;

MINDFUL of the potentially disastrous impact of acts of terrorism on the stability and security of all states in the Hemisphere, particularly the small and vulnerable island states;

NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the decision adopted at the Eighth Regular Session of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) to instruct the CICTE Secretariat to continue providing technical assistance and capacity-building to member states, upon request, on the security of tourism and recreational facilities, taking into account the results of the Pilot Project in this area and the specific realities and needs of the tourism sector in the member states;

UNDERSCORING the importance of sustained dialogue on the multidimensional aspects of security and their impact on the small island states of the Caribbean, in support of ongoing subregional efforts to enhance law enforcement, security cooperation, and disaster mitigation and preparedness;

WELCOMING the meeting of the Committee on Hemispheric Security, held on February 13, 2008, to address the special security concerns of small island states, at which the member states and the General Secretariat presented the initiatives undertaken to address the special security concerns of the small island states of the Caribbean and made recommendations regarding future actions;

ACKNOWLEDGING the Report of the Inter-American Defense Board on follow-up of progress made in implementing resolution AG/RES. 2325 (XXXVII-O/07), “Special Security Concerns of the Small Island States of the Caribbean” (CP/CSH-987/08), with particular interest in the computer simulation training introduced to member states of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) that wish to strengthen their natural and man-made disaster mitigation planning, in a presentation on the Emergency Management and Training Simulation System (SIGEN), developed by Chile;

RECALLING:

Resolutions AG/RES. 1886 (XXXII-O/02) and AG/RES. 1970 (XXXIII-O/03), “Special Security Concerns of Small Island States of the Caribbean”; AG/RES. 2006 (XXXIV-O/04), AG/RES. 2112 (XXXV-O/05), AG/RES. 2187 (XXXVI-O/06), and AG/RES. 2325 (XXXVII-O/07), “Special Security Concerns of the Small Island States of the Caribbean”; AG/RES. 1497 (XXVII-O/97), AG/RES. 1567 (XXVIII-O/98), AG/RES. 1640 (XXIX-O/99), and AG/RES. 1802 (XXXI-O/01), “Special Security Concerns of Small Island States”; and AG/RES. 1410 (XXVI-O/96), “Promotion of Security in the Small Island States”;

Resolutions AG/RES. 2114 (XXXV-O/05), “Natural Disaster Reduction and Risk Management,” and AG/RES. 2184 (XXXVI-O/06), “Natural Disaster Reduction, Risk Management, and Assistance in Natural and Other Disaster Situations”;

That at the Special Conference on Security, held in Mexico City on October 27 and 28, 2003, member states addressed, in paragraphs 2 and 4 of the Declaration on Security in the Americas, the multidimensional scope of security and the new threats, concerns, and other challenges and, in paragraph 8 of that Declaration, called for “renewed and ongoing attention to, and the development of appropriate instruments and strategies within the Inter-American system to address the special security concerns of small island states as reflected in the Declaration of Kingstown on the Security of Small Island States”; and noting also paragraphs 43 and 44 of the Declaration on Security in the Americas;

That in the said Declaration on Security in the Americas member states emphasized the need to reinforce existing efforts in the Hemisphere with regard to transportation security, without prejudice to the flow of trade;

The decisions adopted at the Seventh Regular Session of CICTE in the Declaration of Panama on the Protection of Critical Infrastructure in the Hemisphere in the Face of Terrorism, with particular reference to threats to tourism security; and

Resolution AG/RES. 1 (XXXII-E/06), “Statutes of the Inter-American Defense Board,” which mandates the IADB in carrying out its purpose, to take into account the needs of the smaller states, whose level of vulnerability is greater in the face of traditional threats and of new threats, concerns, and other challenges;

WELCOMING:

The actions taken by the General Secretariat through the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security and the relevant organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system, such as the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) through the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), in the areas of the management of natural hazard risks, a multi-hazard contingency manual/plan for the tourism sector, and food safety and security standards for the Caribbean; the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) through the online capacity-building program in drug demand reduction at the University of the West Indies and training seminars focused on supply reduction techniques; the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) through the airport, port facility, and tourism and recreational facilities security programs; and the Department of Public Security through the awareness-building seminar on trafficking in persons held in Saint Lucia, the technical advice provided to the Haitian National Police, and the meeting of academics from the Caribbean held in Jamaica in preparation for the First Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas;

That in resolution CP/RES. 934 (1644/08) the Permanent Council convened the First Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas, to be held in Mexico on October 7 and 8, 2008; and

The actions taken by the General Secretariat, through the Office of the Secretary General and the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, to support the special security concerns of the small island states of the Caribbean, as set out in the presentations made at the Fifth Meeting of the Council of Ministers of National Security and Law Enforcement of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), held in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2008;

NOTING that at the Thirteenth Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2008, it was agreed that intelligence and information sharing, the procurement of equipment, combating trafficking in drugs and firearms, crime prevention, and addressing gangs and violence represent special security concerns for that region;

RECOGNIZING the international obligations of member states, particularly obligations of the states parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and relevant instruments of the International Maritime Organization; and

BEARING IN MIND that at the Fourth Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), held in Panama City, Panama, in July 2005, the Heads of State and/or Government of the ACS member states urged those countries currently involved in the production or shipment of nuclear waste to adopt measures aimed at strengthening international cooperation in order to comply with security measures on the transportation of radioactive materials, especially those adopted at the forty-seventh regular session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (Austria 2003),

RESOLVES:

1. To reemphasize the importance of strengthening and enhancing the hemispheric security agenda of the Organization of American States (OAS) by addressing the multidimensional nature of security as it relates to the security of the small island states of the Caribbean.

2. To renew its appeal to member states to continue collaborating with the small island states of the Caribbean in the development of effective ways of addressing the security issues of these states through capacity-building assistance related to intelligence and information sharing and the procurement of equipment.

3. To instruct the Permanent Council to remain seized of the issues which impact the security of small island states and, to this end, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security (CSH), to evaluate progress made in addressing the security concerns of those states and the development of strategies for implementation of the related General Assembly resolutions.

4. To instruct the Permanent Council to continue its work on global climate change, in coordination with the other organs of the OAS.

5. To request that, in support of the small island states’ efforts to address their special security concerns, the CSH coordinate and maintain the necessary liaison with the organs, agencies, entities, and mechanisms of the Organization and other institutions and mechanisms related to the various aspects of security and defense in the Hemisphere, respecting the mandates and areas of competence of each, in order to achieve the application, evaluation, and follow-up of those provisions pertaining to the special security concerns of small island states in the Declaration on Security in the Americas.

6. To reiterate its request that the General Secretariat, through the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security and the relevant organs, agencies, and entities of the inter-American system, such as the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP), the Consultative Committee of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials (CIFTA), the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR), and the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), support, within their areas of competence and programming, the continued efforts of the small island states to address their security and defense concerns, particularly with respect to:

a. Developing training programs and proposals for strategic plans and cooperation to enable existing security entities in the small island states to meet the new security threats, concerns, and challenges;

b. Assisting border-control authorities in the small island states in accessing critical information; in enhancing their border control systems and transportation security, including airport and seaport security; and in strengthening their border- control capacities;

c. Strengthening the capacity of the small island states to fight against trafficking in drugs and firearms;

d. Beginning the process of conducting analysis among the states of the Caribbean on gang violence;

e. Carrying out computer simulation training and other simulation exercises to strengthen natural and man-made disaster response and mitigation capacity in the states;

f. Providing training and technical assistance regarding legislation in the areas of counterterrorism, terrorist financing, cybersecurity, and cybercrime;

g. Providing technical assistance and capacity-building for the security of tourism and recreational facilities;

h. Improving coordination among the organs, agencies, and entities of the OAS on matters related to the special security concerns of small island states, so as to ensure awareness and avoid duplication; and

i. Building local capacities, training communities, and strengthening mechanisms for liaison with civil society through specific actions to reduce vulnerabilities that increase the effects of natural and man-made disasters.

7. To request the Permanent Council and the General Secretariat to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth regular session on the implementation of this resolution, the execution of which shall be subject to the availability of financial resources in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.