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Civil Society recommendations to the Special Conference on Hemispheric Security, Mexico City, Oct. 27-28

Joint statement

Mexico City - Oct. 29, 2003 ? With respect to the Special Conference on Security, held October 27-28 in Mexico City, the national and international civil-society organizations meeting here would like to state their concerns and corresponding positions on this issue of fundamental importance to the people of our hemisphere.

We demand recognition of our right to participate and to be informed concerning the proposals for redefining the concept of hemispheric security and for making decisions about the mechanisms needed to provide for this security. We are convinced that an issue of this nature should not fall under the exclusive responsibility of governments. Instead, it should, first and foremost, be the responsibility of all citizens of the States of this hemisphere.

We consider that regional security begins with the assurance that there will be recognition of and full respect for the human rights of all those who live in our hemisphere. We would therefore like to remind the representatives of OAS member States attending the conference of previous commitments on the part of their States, such as the one to "promote and protect human rights and representative democracy as indispensable conditions for the stability, peace, and development of the region" in accordance with the Inter-American instruments in force and through existing special agencies.

As a result of the world events over the last few years, the traditional concept of security is being redefined in the Organization of American States to include a multidimensional focus capable of responding to the needs and concerns of the American States. Therefore, the corresponding responses must also be multidimensional, ensuring that the use of military force is not expanded.

Further to the Action Plan of the Third Summit of the Americas (Quebec City, 2001), an express mandate was established for the organization of a special hemispheric conference on security, from which a political statement on this issue was to be developed.

During this process, the organizations present at this meeting followed up on discussions and previous meetings and presented opinions and proposals on the documents to which they have had access. On the basis of this work, our concerns and recommendations are as follows:

• The governments of the hemisphere have broadened the concept of security threats. They have preserved references to traditional threats such as external attacks on the territorial integrity of a State, and they have added new threats, including "terrorism," drug trafficking, and even extreme poverty, diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and natural disasters. However, they have not defined how and why the above situations are converted into security threats.


• No multidimensional response system has been designed in the face of this multidimensional concept of security threats. Therefore, there is a risk that the one-dimensional military response to security concerns will be maintained. We believe that, in a complete and effective democracy, universal respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights are essential components to be included in multidimensional response mechanisms.


• Furthermore, no clear distinction has been made between problems of national security and those related to public security. Military solutions should not be applied to all security problems. We also believe that trends to militarize police and criminalize social protests must be reversed.


• Although the draft declaration prepared by the governments of the hemisphere recognizes the interdependence between democracy and human rights, it does not include the threat posed by serious, systematic and widespread violations of international human-rights, humanitarian, or refugee laws, nor does it refer to the impunity of those who perpetrate said violations by directly attacking the human component of security, which is human dignity.

Given the above, we believe the following:

• To address the predominance of a militaristic vision and to provide for a multidimensional response, the participation of other international and regional organizations and institutions, such as the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, the Inter-American Human Rights Court, and the International Criminal Court, must be ensured.


• The participation of civil society is essential to ensuring that security initiatives are conducted democratically and in total respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of our populations. Governments should therefore provide for transparency and define mechanisms for ensuring access to information and participation by civil society in the discussions and decisions that are made with regard to these issues.