General assembly thirty-seventh regular session panama, republic of panama

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To urge the member states to give top priority in their poverty reduction strategies to eradication of child malnutrition in the Hemisphere, with particular emphasis on effective measures to prevent and eradicate malnutrition of children under five years of age, paying particular attention to children from vulnerable groups, including indigenous children and children of African descent, among others, and to put together a strategy to combat the lack of the micronutrients that are essential for their physical and mental development.
   

2. 
   To urge those member states that have not already done so to consider joining in these efforts and supporting the actions of the states of the region most affected by child malnutrition, by facilitating, through allocation of the necessary resources, the execution of programs to eradicate child malnutrition by means of affordable and provenly reliable actions.
   

3. 
   To call upon member states to continue supporting the work of national bodies dedicated to eradicating child malnutrition or, in the case of states lacking such bodies, to consider establishing such bodies.
   

4. 
   To thank the World Food Programme (WFP), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for their support for this initiative; and to urge them and the rest of the international community to consider providing such cooperation as is needed to develop a plan of action and program to support and strengthen horizontal cooperation mechanisms among countries, including, inter alia, solidarity in emergency situations, regular exchanges of standardized technical, economic, and epidemiological information, and joint activities in nutrition-related research projects, technical assistance, human resource training, and knowledge management.
   

5. 
   To request the General Secretariat to develop, in coordination with the WFP, a work plan for disseminating and reinforcing implementation of the efforts aimed at eradicating child malnutrition, that would include the organization of government conferences, as well as courses and seminars, for personnel in the areas of health, education, nutrition, and agriculture, and from other pertinent agencies in the member states.
   

6. 
   To instruct the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to follow up on this resolution and to report on its implementation to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session.
   

AG/RES. 2347 (XXXVII-O/07)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To reaffirm the commitments undertaken in the Declaration of Santa Cruz + 10 and in the Inter-American Program for Sustainable Development (2006–2009) (PIDS) with respect to integrated water resources management.
   

2. 
   To expedite efforts, in the context of national realities and laws, to achieve the objective of halving the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water, on the basis of nondiscrimination, equality, equity, solidarity, and environmental sustainability.
   

3. 
   To create awareness among the different sectors of society of the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of water.
   

4. 
   To promote technical cooperation to facilitate access to appropriate, low-cost, ecologically sustainable technologies for water use and supply and to strengthen the capacity of local communities to make sustainable use of water resources.
   

5. 
   To instruct the Permanent Council and the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), in coordination with the General Secretariat, to convene, for the first quarter of 2008 and in connection with World Water Day, an inter-American meeting on the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the availability of, and access to, safe drinking water, with a view, inter alia, to:
   
   1. 
      Fostering dialogue among national authorities responsible for integrated water resources management in the member states on national policies, experiences, and best practices concerning the availability of, and access to, safe drinking water; and
      

2. 
   Promoting and reinforcing bilateral and regional cooperation on integrated water resources management.
   

6. 
   To instruct the General Secretariat to include on the agenda for the upcoming meeting of focal points on integrated water resources management, to be held in August 2007, the preparation of the proposed agenda for the meeting mentioned in the preceding paragraph, for consideration by the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI).
   

7. 
   To request CIDI to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.
   

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To reaffirm its commitment to fight the crime of trafficking in persons, by means of a comprehensive approach that takes into account the prevention of trafficking, prosecution of its perpetrators, protection of and assistance to its victims, and respect for their human rights, as well as the strengthening of international cooperation in the area and implementation of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and of other relevant international instruments.
   

2. 
   To continue to encourage member states to take the necessary measures to implement, as appropriate, the conclusions and recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons.
   
3. 
   To request the General Secretariat to:
   

1. 
   Support the efforts to draft model legislation on trafficking in persons, fully in accordance with the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which member states can use as a reference when developing or modifying their own legislation on the subject;
   
2. 
   Work with the member states to study cooperation mechanisms that permit the repatriation of victims of human trafficking, where applicable, pursuant to the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, guaranteeing their safety and integrity;
   
3. 
   Conduct a study on the feasibility of establishing a peer review mechanism, or other appropriate process, including an information-sharing system, to study progress in the fight against human trafficking, in accordance with the efforts being made within the framework of the Conference of States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children; and present the study to the Permanent Council, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security, for its consideration and review; and
   
4. 
   Continue supporting the implementation of the conclusions and recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons and review progress in the implementation of these conclusions and recommendations; and report thereon to the Permanent Council and to the Seventh Meeting of Ministers of Justice or of Ministers or Attorneys General of the Americas (REMJA-VII).
   

4. 
   To urge those member states that have not yet done so to consider ratifying, acceding to, or accepting, as the case may be, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and to analyze the possibility of criminalizing in their internal legislation the offense of trafficking in persons in accordance with pertinent legal provisions; as well as to consider other initiatives and actions geared toward preventing trafficking in persons, prosecuting its perpetrators, and protecting and assisting its victims.
   

5. 
   To request the Permanent Council to convene for 2008, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, the Second Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons.
   

6. 
   To instruct the Permanent Council, when it deems it appropriate, to request the Technical Group on Transnational Organized Crime, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, to consider the topic of inter-American cooperation in dealing with human trafficking.
   

7. 
   To request the General Secretariat to take the necessary measures, as appropriate, within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources, to implement the conclusions and recommendations of the First Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons.
   

8. 
   To request the Permanent Council to continue, through the Committee on Hemispheric Security, its consideration of this topic.
   

9. 
   To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.
   

10. 
    To instruct the Permanent Council to carry out the activities mentioned in this resolution in accordance with the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.
    

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To recognize and emphasize that water is essential to the life and health of all human beings and that access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is indispensable for a life with human dignity.
   

2. 
   To reaffirm the sovereign right of each state to establish rules and regulations on water use and water services in its territory.
   

3. 
   To underscore that water is a natural, limited, and vulnerable resource that has economic value and that also performs an environmental, social, economic, and cultural function, and that efforts must be made to ensure that all sectors of the population have access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.
   

4. 
   To recognize and respect, in accordance with national law, the ancestral use of water by urban, rural, and indigenous communities, in the framework of their habits and customs on water use, emphasizing as well the importance of this resource as an energy source.
   

5. 
   To urge member states to develop government policies that envisage the participation of civil society in water resources management and in planning options for improving their drinking-water and sanitation services, with respect for the rule of law, bearing in mind, among other considerations, the needs of urban, rural, and indigenous communities, facilitating to that end access to specialized know-how and information on integrated water resources management in a democratic, transparent, and equitable manner.
   

6. 
   To foster actions to address the effects of climate variability and change on water resources, the supply of safe drinking water, and sanitation, with particular emphasis on preventing risks associated with environmental management, as well as the degradation of water basins and wetlands.
   

7. 
   To continue promoting, directly or through relevant international organizations, mechanisms that contribute to the improvement of water quantity and quality and to the conservation and sustainable use of transborder water resources and the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, in accordance with the domestic legal framework and applicable international law.
   

8. 
   To instruct the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) to establish a working group to prepare for a special meeting and to continue to take action to implement strategies and draw up hemispheric plans of action that will further access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation in accordance with the provisions of this resolution, the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
   

9. 
   To request CIDI to present a report on this subject to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session.
   

AG/RES. 2350 (XXXVII-O/07)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

EMPHASIZING ALSO that every state has the right to choose, without external interference, its political, economic, and social system and to organize itself in the way best suited to it, and has the duty to abstain from intervening in the affairs of another state. Subject to the foregoing, the American states shall cooperate fully among themselves, independently of the nature of their political, economic, and social systems,

2. 
   To urge member states to continue their efforts to promote and disseminate these rules, principles, and purposes through courses, seminars, and forums.
   

3. To request that the Permanent Council, through the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, keep the topic on its agenda and take into account the report on the special meeting on the principles of international law contained in the OAS Charter (CP/CAJP-2479/07).

4. 
   To request the Secretary General to provide support for the implementation of this resolution and to present a report thereon to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session.
   

AG/RES. 2351 (XXXVII-O/07)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To instruct the Permanent Council to prepare and convene a special meeting to discuss best practices among member states that serve to strengthen participation of civil society organizations, including nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), in the areas of human rights and democracy promotion, as well as best practices regarding the participation of civil society organizations in activities of the Organization of American States relating to human rights and democracy promotion. This meeting will include contributions by and participation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and civil society organizations, in accordance with resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99).
   

2. 
   To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session on the implementation of this resolution, which will be carried out within the resources allocated in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.
   

AG/RES. 2352 (XXXVII-O/07)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To express its appreciation to the people and Government of the Republic of Panama for their warm and generous hospitality and the contribution they have made to the success of the thirty-seventh regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).
   

2. 
   To express its gratitude and congratulations to the First Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, His Excellency Samuel Lewis Navarro, for his able leadership as President of the thirty-seventh regular session of the General Assembly.
   

3. 
   To express its appreciation and gratitude to Ambassador Arístides Royo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Panama to the OAS, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and to the members of the delegation of the Republic of Panama, whose efficiency, dedication, and professionalism contributed to the success of the thirty-seventh regular session of the General Assembly.
   

AG/RES. 2353 (XXXVII-O/07)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

1. 
   To approve and authorize the program-budget of the Organization for the fiscal period from January 1 through December 31, 2008, financed by the following funds at the corresponding levels:
   

2008

b. Voluntary Fund 5,983.1

II. FINANCING OF THE BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS

III. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. 
   Resource management
   

• 
  P4 – Support for the Chair of the Permanent Council (Subprogram 21A),
  
• 
  P4 – Support for the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (Subprogram 51B)
  

b. For budget year 2008:

• 
  P1/P2 – Post in the CIM (Subprogram 21I)
  

iii. To recognize that the General Secretariat has presented a report on the legal history of salary parity policy (CP/CAAP-2848/06 corr. 1); and to instruct the General Secretariat to submit recommendations by January 31, 2008, with regard to personnel policy and its sustainability, in light of new mandates, the recent restructuring of the General Secretariat, and the financial condition of the OAS.

b. To request the Permanent Council through the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs (CAAP) to convene a special meeting to consider the recommendations of the Secretary General before the thirty-eighth regular session of the General Assembly.

1. 
   To extend the mandates in resolution AG/RES. 1839 (XXXI-O/01) for the Secretary General to study the General Secretariat’s policy on trust positions, and for the Permanent Council to consider recommendations for any necessary changes to the General Standards.
   

2. 
   To instruct the Secretary General to submit his findings from the aforementioned study to the Permanent Council by March 1, 2008.
   

vii. Additional resources

• 
  Subprogram 41D, Office of International Law: US$ 20,000, for the Technical Secretariat of the Committee for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities;
  
• 
  Subprogram 51E, Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE): US$ 30,000
  
• 
  Subprogram 71G, Department of Social Development and Employment: US$ 20,000, in support of participation by workers’ representatives in OAS activities
  

2. 
   Quotas
   

1. 
   Scale of quota assessments
   

1. 
   To extend the mandate issued by the General Assembly at its thirty-first special session by way of resolution AG/RES. 1 (XXXI-E/06), instructing the Permanent Council to continue considering a draft methodology for assessing quotas to the member states–one that will take in account the criteria established in Article 55 of the OAS Charter and current data on the ability to pay of the member countries.
   

2. 
   To request the group of experts convened by the Secretary General, as stipulated in resolution AG/RES. 2257 (XXXVI-O/06), to conclude, no later than September 30, 2007, its consideration of the methodology for assessing quotas to the member states and to present a proposal to the General Assembly for consideration at a special session.
   

3. 
   To convene the General Assembly to meet in special session no later than December 14, 2007, to adopt a methodology for assessing quotas to the member states that will enter into force in 2009 and apply to subsequent years.
   

2. 
   Payment of quotas
   

1. 
   To encourage member state governments to continue to pay their quotas and their arrears pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1757 (XXX-O/00), “Measures to Encourage the Timely Payment of Quotas,” as modified by resolution AG/RES. 2157 (XXXV-O/05).
   

2. 
   To extend the mandate of the Permanent Council to evaluate the existing measures and to consider new measures aimed at encouraging the timely payment of quotas, and to complete its report thereon for the General Assembly at its thirty-eighth regular session.
   

3. 
   Regular adjustments to the quotas assessed to member states
   

i. To request the General Secretariat to prepare, at the end of each fiscal period, beginning with the end of 2007, an estimate of the cost of the statutory adjustments to the salaries of the staff members of the General Secretariat that were incurred during the fiscal period as a result of the Organization’s use of “smart parity” (as reported in document CP/CAAP-2848/06 corr. 1) and as implemented by the General Secretariat in accordance with the recommendations of the International Civil Service Commission, and to present a report to the Permanent Council on the relative variation between real costs and the costs estimated in the 2008 program-budget, by no later than the start of the thirty-eighth regular session of the General Assembly.

3. 
   Offices of the General Secretariat in the Member States
   

a