OEA/Ser.P
AG/RES. 1673 (XXIX-O/99)
7 June 1999
Original: Spanish

PARLIAMENTARY NETWORK OF THE AMERICAS

Adopted at the first plenary session, held on June 7, 1999,
and pending review by the Style Committee)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the report of the Permanent Council on the parliamentary network of the Americas (CP/CAJP-1527/99 rev. 1), presented pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1599 (XXVIII-O/98); and the report presented by the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy on the implementation of AG/RES. 1599 (XXVIII-O/98), specifically as regards the organization of a meeting of national legislative leaders of the Americas, held in the Dominican Republic in November 1998;

RECALLING:

That it was agreed in the Plan of Action of the First Summit of the Americas (Miami, 1994) to support OAS efforts to encourage opportunities for the exchange of experiences among the democratic institutions of member states, in particular among their legislative bodies;

That the Declaration of the Second Summit of the Americas (Santiago, 1998) reaffirmed the willingness to continue enhancing dialogue and cooperation in the Hemisphere; and

That, in resolution AG/RES. 1599 (XXVIII-O/98), adopted in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 3, 1998, the OAS General Secretariat was instructed to facilitate parliamentary dialogue;

BEARING IN MIND initiatives adopted by the General Assembly to facilitate the meeting of parliamentarians on confidence- and security-building measures, as recommended in the Declaration of San Salvador and envisaged in resolution AG/RES. 1566 (XXVIII-O/98), "Confidence- and Security-Building in the Americas";

CONSIDERING the importance of receiving contributions from national parliamentarians-an expression of the popular will-within the framework of an interparliamentary dialogue for discussing hemispheric issues, which will help to strengthen OAS cooperation with the representatives of civil society;

FURTHER CONSIDERING:

That the establishment of a parliamentary network among member states at the hemispheric level would complement initiatives undertaken by international, regional, and subregional parliamentary fora in the Americas; and

That national parliamentarians from many member states have taken measures to initiate such a dialogue on the inter-American agenda,

RESOLVES:

1. To sponsor a meeting to be held during the first quarter of 2000-under the terms set forth in resolution AG/RES. 1599 (XXVIII-O/98) as regards external funding-of the chairs of the foreign affairs committees or equivalent bodies of the national congresses or parliaments of the OAS member states, the purpose of which shall be to further the development of interparliamentary dialogue in addressing issues on the hemispheric agenda, bearing in mind the idea of establishing a forum for this purpose.

2. To request the General Secretariat to make the preparations for that meeting, through the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy, and to keep the Working Group on Representative Democracy informed in this regard.

3. To encourage the member states to make voluntary contributions to a specific fund, which would be administered by the General Secretariat, for activities related to interparliamentary dialogue on inter-American issues.

4. To request the Secretary General and the Permanent Council to report to the General Assembly at its thirtieth regular session on the implementation of this resolution.