9th Model of the Permanent Council
for OAS Interns – 9th MOAS/PC
FINAL RESOLUTION
Organization of American States
Washington, D.C.
9th Model of the Permanent Council for OAS Interns
PROMOTION OF CITIZEN AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION TO ENSURE SECURITY
AND PREVENT VIOLENCE IN THE HEMISPHERE
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
CONSIDERING the Inter-American Democratic Charter; the Charter of the Organization of American
States; the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against
Women, ‘Convention of Belém do Pará”; and, the American Convention on Human Rights;
RECOGNIZING the Declaration on Security in the Americas, the Declaration of Nuevo León
approved in the extraordinary summit of the Americas 2004, the Declaration of San Pedro Sula “Toward a
Culture of Non-Violence”, the resolution AG/RES. 2444 (XXXIX-O/09) and the First Meeting of Ministers
Responsible for Public Security in the Americas “Commitment to Public Security in the Americas”;
RECOGNIZING ALSO, the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and
Trafficking of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials;
BEARING IN MIND
That Article 2 of the Charter of the Organization of American States establishes that one of the
essential purposes of the Organization is to strengthen peace and security in the Hemisphere,
That insecurity is one of the main concerns for our society, and that violence and crime directly
affect our citizens, preventing a harmonious social coexistence, tolerance, and mutual respect, which pave
the way for socioeconomic development and the establishment of democratic institutions, and
That Article 34 of the Charter of the Organization of American States establishes that “the Member
States agree that equality of opportunity, the elimination of extreme poverty, equitable distribution of
wealth and income and the full participation of their peoples in decisions relating to their own development
are, among others, basic objectives of integral development”;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the implementation of the different programs of the OAS must
consider the different needs and capacities of the Member States;
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ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of citizen participation to confront the growing threat of
crime, delinquency and violence to citizen security throughout the Hemisphere;
RECOGNIZING that article 68 of the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain “Securing Our
Citizens Future by Promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability,”
states that it is indispensable for our States to strengthen cooperation on security matters, and reaffirms
that the concept of security in the Hemisphere 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;
CONSIDERING that the scope of criminal activities vary and, therefore, it is necessary to
formulate, implement and evaluate public policies that take into account the protection of human
rights, effective and fair law enforcement, the prevention of crime and violence, rehabilitation, the
reintegration of transgressors, and assistance to victims;
BEARING IN MIND the commitment of the Member States in Resolution AG/RES. 2555 (XLO/10) “Promotion and Strengthening of Democracy: Follow-up to the Inter-american Democratic
Charter” in point 11: “To encourage Member States to design and implement educational programs that
promote a culture of dialogue and communication, as well as civic education programs that include
concepts such as ethics, transparency, and public information, with a view to contributing to the
strengthening of a democratic culture.”
BEARING IN MIND the Commitment to Public Security in the Americas (MISPA/doc.7/08 rev. 4),
adopted at the First Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas (MISPA I), held
in Mexico in October 2008; and the Consensus of Santo Domingo on Public Security (MISPA II/doc.8/09
rev. 4), adopted at the Second Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas
(MISPA II), held in the Dominican Republic in November 2009;
RECOGNIZING
The “Guidelines for Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities,” adopted by the
Permanent Council in resolution CP/RES. 759 (1217/99), to examine the contribution of these
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organizations to strengthening a democratic culture in the Hemisphere, pursuant to Article 26 of the
Inter-American Democratic Charter, as well as the themes, outcomes, and recommendations of the
meetings held at the OAS in March 2008 under the theme “Partnering with civil society,” and
The importance of civil society organizations, social movements, local communities, local
governments and the private sector in promoting and enabling citizen participation to ensure security
and preventing violence and crime in the Hemisphere;
ACKNOWLEDGING the growing impact of crime, violence and insecurity on the populations of
the Americas and its threat for the consolidation of democracy in the Americas;
AWARE of the social repercussions of delinquency on the educational development of youth
and on the integration of local communities within each member state, and the various approaches to
combat this depending on regional and national circumstance,
RESOLVES:
1. To instruct the General Secretariat through the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, to
coordinate efforts with the Executive Secretariat of Integral Development (SEDI) to provide
guidelines for the development of comprehensive national crime prevention strategies focusing on
education and other risk factors, and in identifying the mechanisms by which local governments and
other relevant actors, in particular the private sector through corporate social responsibility, can
take an active role in supporting State efforts to prevent crime and promote social development.
2. To promote the development and inclusion of civic education programs within curricula of schools
and universities to reduce the probability that young people will engage in crime and/or violence
and to enhance civic responsibility, encouraging them to be active citizens and to participate in
strengthening public security through community involvement. The Secretariat for Multidimensional
Security will work in cooperation with the Inter-American Commission on Education and the Office
of Education and Culture of the OAS to provide technical support to the Ministries and other higher
authorities in education for the accomplishment of the aforementioned objectives.
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3. To promote cooperation and dialogue between civil society organizations and the government at all
levels, in order to ensure a criminal justice system that guarantees the rights of children, women
and population at risk, and ensure their right to social reinsertion.
4.
To Encourage Member States to:
a.
Promote national anti-corruption awareness campaigns, including programs coordinated by
public security government agencies in cooperation with civil society organizations,
academia, and the media, to take initiatives that expose corruption and hold corrupt public
officials accountable, and ensure transparency;
b.
Promote their participation in advocating anti-corruption legal rights and in formulating
action plans to fight corruption;
c. Promote police enforcement and capacity building based on anti-bribery and probity
policies programs, focusing on constructing a peaceful interactive culture between local
communities and police forces.
5. To request:
a. That the Permanent Council schedules a special session dedicated to the discussion of
Human Trafficking legislation across the Hemisphere;
b. That the General Secretariat develops a program, targeted towards the most vulnerable
groups, to raise awareness on how people become victims of trafficking;
c. That the General Secretariat develops a program to support local school systems on the
implementation of initiatives to prevent substance abuse by the whole population. This
program should target both students, mainly through after-school activities, and legal
guardians; and,
d. That the General Secretariat supports Member States on the promotion of incentives for
citizens to hand over firearms.
6. To instruct the General Secretariat:
a. To provide technical assistance by sharing expertise and best practices for the creation of
community programs based on a public-private partnership, which will provide education
and technical skills to youths in gang afflicted areas, where the private sector could be an
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active contributor by providing technical training to youth, both on the streets and in
prisons, for their rehabilitation and reintegration into society; and,
b. To request the Department of Public Security to work in conjunction with civil society
organizations to establish volunteer councils that meet with policymakers and local police to
discuss, learn about, and implement community patrol policies, and to provide technical
materials –such as brochures, manuals guides and electronic presentations-- about
community patrolling and fair practices, as well as to serve as a consultant and ombudsman
to ensure fairness.
7. To promote and strengthen cooperation between community and civil society organizations and
private sectors engaging local and social actors, to raise awareness of methods to prevent violent
crime and protect and empower victims.
8. To urge Member States to:
a. Develop mechanisms to share information between citizens and local institutions, by using
existing technology and public gathering areas to strengthen community associations;
b. Exchange information between and among countries for the transferability of plans,
projects, and mechanisms on the cooperation between authorities and civil society
organizations to defend citizens, who have accused criminal organizations, from retaliation.
9. Finance the implementation of this resolution through:
a. Fundraising campaigns, conducted by the Department of International Affairs of the OAS,
among Permanent Observer Countries; and,
b. Voluntary contributions from Member States.
10. To request the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its Forty-Second regular
session on the implementation of this resolution.
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