| United Nations | A/50/673 |
General Assembly
Distr. GENERAL
24 October 1995
ORIGINAL:
SPANISH
Fiftieth session
Agenda items 25, 27, 29, 39,
45, 56, 61, 63, 65, 95, 101,
105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111,
112, 146, 156 and 161
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE UNITED NATIONS
AND THE LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMIC SYSTEM
NECESSITY OF ENDING THE ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL EMBARGO
IMPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AGAINST CUBA
COMMEMORATION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
LAW OF THE SEA
THE SITUATION IN CENTRAL AMERICA: PROCEDURES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A FIRM AND LASTING PEACE AND PROGRESS IN FASHIONING A REGION OF
PEACE, FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT
CONSEQUENCES OF THE IRAQI OCCUPATION
OF AND AGGRESSION AGAINST KUWAIT
REDUCTION OF MILITARY BUDGETS
THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL
SECURITY, DISARMAMENT AND OTHER RELATED FIELDS
COMPREHENSIVE TEST-BAN TREATY
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING
THE CONVENING OF A UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING QUESTIONS RELATING TO
THE WORLD SOCIAL SITUATION AND TO YOUTH, AGEING,
DISABLED PERSONS AND THE FAMILY
95-32318 (E) 081195 091195/...
*9532318*
ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
INTERNATIONAL DRUG CONTROL
REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES,
QUESTIONS RELATING TO REFUGEES, RETURNEES AND DISPLACED
PERSONS AND HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS
PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL
DECADE OF THE WORLD'S INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTIONS
MEASURES TO ELIMINATE INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
MULTILINGUALISM
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTCOME OF THE
WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Letter dated 19 October 1995 from the Permanent Representative of
Argentina to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
I have the honour to transmit to you herewith the Bariloche Declaration,
issued by all the participants in the fifth Ibero-American Conference of
Heads of State and Government held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
(see annex).
I should be grateful if you would have this letter and its annex
distributed as a document of the General Assembly under items 25, 27, 29,
39, 45, 56, 61, 63, 65, 95, 101, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 146,
156 and 161 of the agenda of the fiftieth session.
(Signed) Emilio J. CARDENAS
Ambassador
Permanent Representative
Annex
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
PART IEDUCATION AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
PART IICOOPERATION RESULTING FROM THE SUMMIT MEETINGS OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN
CONFERENCE
ANNEXES
AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
PART IIIMATTERS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
PART I: EDUCATION AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT
OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
I. INTRODUCTION
1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the 21 Ibero-American
countries, have met for the fifth time in the framework of the Ibero-
American Conference of Heads of State and Government, in the city of San
Carlos de Bariloche, on 16 and 17 October 1995, convinced that our shared
cultural heritage and the principles and objectives adopted at our previous
meetings have strengthened our Conference as a forum for collective action
and a preferred instrument of cooperation. In this connection, we are
pleased to note the progressive strengthening of the capacity of the Ibero-
American Conference to uphold and act upon the set of concepts and
principles on which it is based.
2. We affirm our unwavering commitment to democracy, respect for human
rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of international law and
observance of the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United
Nations. The historical and cultural affinities underpinning our shared
identity, together with these principles, whose recognized validity is the
fundamental reason for our membership in the Ibero-American community,
constitute the conceptual framework which has guided our reflections,
purposes and objectives with regard to the issue of education for
development.
3. Today, on the threshold of the twenty-first century, Ibero-America
faces a threefold challenge: to promote and consolidate sustained and
sustainable economic and social development; to broaden and deepen
integration processes in a context of open regionalism; and to become
integrated into a world undergoing radical changes, primarily as a result
of the revolution in science, technology and production.
4. Against this backdrop, we see education as the primary means of meeting
these challenges successfully. Access for all to the values, knowledge and
skills imparted by the educational system is a prerequisite for ensuring
the continuity and stability of democratic institutions, guaranteeing
political, economic, social and cultural participation, especially on the
part of the most disadvantaged groups and contributing to the fight against
poverty.
5. Of special relevance in this regard are the reflections of the
Ministers of Education of the Ibero-American countries expressed at their
meetings in Guadalupe, Spain (1992) and Salvador, Brazil (1993), which were
convened and organized in close cooperation with the Organization of Ibero-
American States for Education, Science and Culture. We also endorse the
decisions taken and programmes adopted at the fifth Ibero-American
Conference on Education (Argentina, 1995) and contained in the Buenos Aires
Declaration.
6. In the light of these documents, we have decided to devote our meeting
in Bariloche to discussing and adopting conclusions on education in the
conviction that it is one of the cornerstones of development in our
societies.
II. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
7. The educational and cultural development of communities is a
prerequisite for the consolidation of democratic political systems with the
capacity to build integrated, participatory societies.
8. Education is an essential component of the Ibero-American cooperation
strategy. It involves the transmission of knowledge and the affirmation of
values that emphasize peaceful coexistence, responsibility, tolerance,
solidarity and justice and that promote the development of individuals who
show social solidarity and who are active and tolerant in the political
sphere, productive in the economic sphere, respectful of human rights and
aware of the value of the natural environment.
9. Education policies should be designed by the State with the consensus
and participation of all social sectors, and should seek to give the entire
population equal access to education without discrimination.
10. The efforts to be made in this connection cannot be confined to
educational systems. Scientific and technological training and research
must be linked more closely to the production of goods and services in
order to enhance competitiveness.
11. Our common efforts to promote comprehensive education cannot be
limited to formal educational systems. We must meet the demands of broad
sectors of the population which, for whatever reason, have not had access
to the various levels of formal education. To that end, we must make use
of all available instruments, especially the mass media.
12. Today, comprehensive education is a strategic resource of crucial
importance for growth and full social participation and for sustained,
balanced and equitable development. The profound socio-economic,
scientific, technological and cultural changes which have taken place in
the world over the past decade demand educational systems which are capable
of developing the skills required in order to cope with these changes and
which stimulate creativity and emphasize the new culture of innovation, as
well as a clear vision of the future vis-a-vis the challenges of the next
millennium.
13. The search for excellence calls for a multifaceted educational effort
adapted to a dynamic technological environment. Consequently, education
must be viewed as a shared responsibility of society as a whole which
involves not only educational institutions but also economic and social
actors, the communications media and the various types of social
organizations.
14. Our aim is to create an increasingly integrated Ibero-American
community. To that end, we must promote genuine educational and cultural
cooperation among all of our countries to build a growing interrelationship
among the institutions that comprise the educational system.
15. In view of the foregoing, we affirm that a priority objective of this
fifth Summit is to raise the awareness and sense of responsibility of
society as a whole with respect to the importance of innovation processes
for modernization and social and economic participation.
III. EDUCATION AS A FACTOR FOR COHESION IN THE IBERO-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
16. The Ibero-American community has an exceptionally solid communication
base, thanks to the existence of common languages and cultural and
educational similarities which have been shaped during many centuries of a
shared history. Easy communication in the educational sphere is a common
characteristic of the Ibero-American countries.
17. In that connection, we feel that Ibero-America's cultural wealth and
the Spanish and Portuguese languages in which it is expressed constitute a
common heritage. It is essential to protect and promote that heritage in
every forum, especially in those international organizations, agencies and
institutions in which one or other of those two languages enjoys official
status. Within each of our nations, that same need for protection and
preservation exists in respect of indigenous languages, which constitute an
indivisible part of the IberoAmerican cultural heritage and of humanity as
a whole.
18. Consequently, the development of joint programmes in the fields of
education and research not only will facilitate progress in educational
activities, but will provide opportunities for contacts and relations among
the Ibero-American peoples and the structuring of a common economic and
social network, thus strengthening awareness of an Ibero-American identity.
19. To achieve that goal, we are determined to give the highest priority
to programmes for exchanges among experts and teachers in the fields of
education and research, which offer great potential for collective efforts
and should be at the core of Ibero-American cooperation. The development
of educational research and technological management programmes is an
objective which opens up many opportunities for Ibero-American cooperation.
IV. EDUCATION AS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF SOCIAL POLICY AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
20. Knowledge, particularly in the scientific and technological spheres,
is a key asset in the economic and social progress of our countries. The
concern to go forward in the acquisition, development and transfer of
knowledge currently constitutes one of the main topics on the agenda of the
Ibero-American community.
21. Education as social policy should strengthen our capacity to
disseminate knowledge and generate appropriate strategies for providing
access to that knowledge by individuals, groups and communities on a basis
of equity, thereby improving the quality of education services to the
population as a whole.
22. This democratization of education should begin with measures to reduce
and eradicate illiteracy, semi-literacy, non-attendance at school,
repetition of school years, high drop-out rates, and the deteriorating
quality of education.
Progress in that area could be achieved by strengthening schemes for
cooperation on educational policies and by sharing experiences among
countries.
23. Priority in educational policies must therefore be given to producing
quality primary and secondary education aimed at providing the knowledge,
techniques, values and skills necessary for people to live in dignity, to
attain educational levels in keeping with their abilities, to continue to
learn throughout their lives, and to foster the human qualities of Ibero-
American societies.
Today, this goal has become a matter of urgency because we are
experiencing a crisis characterized by deterioration in the quality of
education.
24. In improving the quality of education, the principle of equity must
not be neglected. Developing education in such a way as to promote genuine
equality of opportunity and access, avoiding all forms of exclusion of less
advantaged sectors, will ensure social cohesion and guarantee equality of
educational and productive opportunities for women and the inclusion and
participation of young people. It will further ensure respect for the
cultural and linguistic identity and integrated development of indigenous
peoples and generate an appreciation of cultural pluralism and multi-ethnic
coexistence.
25. Economic changes and structural adjustment in the Ibero-American
countries have led to the increasing modernization of their economies,
albeit at a high social cost for many countries. Policies for formal
education and job training, accompanied by new, more flexible employment
policies, can make a decisive contribution by absorbing more and more
people into the labour market, thus enabling them to share in the benefits
of development.
26. In examining ways of creating a link between education and production,
the need for a good general education and the variability of the demand for
labour must be taken into account. The best training for work is good-
quality basic education that is sufficiently broad, flexible and multi-
purpose to serve as the basis for specialization at a later date in line
with the constant changes in the labour market.
27. It is also important that the value of job training, in all its
aspects, should be fully appreciated: for workers, it should mean
increased employment opportunities, protect them from any decline in
earnings, and give them the chance to prepare for new working methods of
today's society; for young people in search of their first jobs, it should
provide a means of penetrating the labour market; and for enterprises, it
should act as a stimulus for increased worker productivity and
competitiveness, as well as an instrument for easing the worker's
adaptation to new market demands and the use of new technologies.
28. The linking of formal education with job training is essential both
for economic development and for access to employment.
From that point of view, the role of the State is of strategic
importance. Encouraging investment in education in order to produce more
highly qualified workers capable of applying new technologies and adapting
to modern methods of organizing work, is one of the State's major
responsibilities in efforts to reduce unemployment.
29. The changes in the workplace resulting from a transformation of the
socioeconomic context call for a re-examination of traditional models of
vocational education and job training. That responsibility should be
shared by the different social actors, namely, Governments, enterprises,
unions, social organizations and individuals.
30. In managing the resources allocated for education, it is important to
avoid duplication of investments, reduce administrative costs, ensure
optimal benefits from expenditure, provide greater autonomy for individual
establishments by promoting greater citizen involvement in school
management, improve performance evaluation and follow-up methods, achieve
improved levels of effectiveness and efficiency, and provide advanced
training for those in charge of the education process.
31. In the Ibero-American countries, universities and other establishments
of higher education have always been central to the process of tertiary
education. For that reason, and given the changes that have taken place,
universities are now facing a twofold challenge: to institute structural
and curricular modernization and to adapt education to the demands of
Ibero-American societies, the object being to contribute to their
political, economic and social development.
32. The Ibero-American community is also confronted with the task of
improving its capacity to absorb and generate technology. Through
programmes of applied research, research efforts must be brought into line
with the needs of the production sector and funds for research must be
sought from the private sector. To this end, the mechanisms linking the
academic world to the development of applied research in the business world
must be strengthened. One such mechanism is the Ibero-American Programme
of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED), whose most recent
conference, dedicated to training for innovation, was held in Buenos Aires
from 2 to 4 October. Regular units should be established in centres of
higher education to promote such activities and agreements between the
universities and the business community can serve as ideal mechanisms for
that purpose.
33. Rapid technological change requires continual updating of skills.
Therefore, institutes of higher education should undertake the continuous
refresher training of professionals by establishing projects based on the
combined efforts of the academic and private sectors. Moreover,
enterprises should become involved in the academic world in developing
continuing education programmes leading to incentive schemes for
encouraging the necessary investment.
34. In line with our commitment to these goals, we agree on the need to
develop an Ibero-American university of excellence for training the men and
women who will run our countries in the next millennium. Strengthening the
role of the Ibero-American universities will be one of our basic
priorities.
35. We therefore consider it important to create stronger links among
universities and other establishments of higher education in the Ibero-
American countries, with a view to the greatest possible harmonization of
their educational programmes. With that in mind, we will also encourage
programmes of student and teacher exchanges.
V. CONCLUSIONS
36. In the belief that expenditure on education should be considered as an
investment in society, we express our determination to promote the
efficient use of State and private funds for education and to promote a
substantial, progressive and sustained increase in allocations.
37. Education needs to be comprehensive and integrated in view of the
growing trend towards globalization of economic activities, regional
integration and, at the same time, revitalization of neighbourhoods as
areas offering individuals scope for self-fulfilment and for development of
the community to which they belong.
38. Integrated quality education implies the establishment of policies
which provide for:
(a)equal opportunities for all members of the population in terms of
access to, attendance at and graduation from high-quality educational
establishments, thus advancing social justice by promoting specific
programmes to compensate for inequalities;
(b)the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skills equipping
people to practice a profession, cope with daily living or perform civic
duties;
(c)the need to review traditional models of vocational training with the
participation of the various social actors, such as the family and the
enterprise;
(d)recognition of and respect for cultural diversity;
(e)advocacy of the values of democracy, solidarity, tolerance and
responsibility at the primary and secondary school levels as the basis for
peaceful and harmonious coexistence;
(f)active participation in society in the political, economic and social
spheres through access to knowledge that is essential for the development
of individual skills. Education programmes must involve all social actors;
(g)integration of existing human resources in the workforce and society
as a whole through new, flexible employment policies and the development of
workers' training programmes;
(h)stimulation of intellectual curiosity and an inquiring mind from the
very earliest age as the take-off point for the development of scientific
and technological research and for social reforms aimed at promoting the
well-being of society as a whole;
(i)an understanding of the link between science, technology and society
as the foundation for a culture of innovation;
(j)intensive use of the most up-to-date teaching materials with emphasis
on promoting reading and establishing new and/or better-equipped libraries
within teaching institutions with a view to a wider dissemination of
knowledge;
(k)modernization of Ibero-American universities and institutes of higher
education to promote standards of excellence and foster cooperation and
complementarity among them;
(l)strengthening the teaching profession by improving initial training,
refresher training and ongoing training programmes;
(m)upgrading existing programmes and introducing new vocational training
programmes to bring our countries closer together, as well as more modern
teaching methods in this field;
(n)continuing to promote scientific research as a substantive basis for
fostering development and updating technology by designing a training
school capable of making a substantial contribution in the area of research
applied to the production sector and strengthening support for the
establishment and coordination of research networks among the countries of
the Ibero-American community;
(o)development and analysis of the connection between science and
production by promoting the continuous integration of technology and
scientific applications in production methods;
(p)the study, understanding and analysis of Ibero-American cultural
identity through joint programmes and high-level institutions, giving equal
attention to the humanities, the arts and the social sciences. For that
purpose, there should also be an increase in exchanges, forums and meetings
among artists, academics and social scientists.
39. To ensure the implementation of approved educational programmes and
projects, we shall instruct the national focal points to prepare a status
report, with recommendations, to be presented by the secretariat pro
tempore
to the sixth Ibero-American Summit. In carrying out this task, cooperation
with the competent international bodies may be requested.
40. We express our gratitude to His Excellency President D. Carlos Saul
Menem and through him to the Government and people of Argentina for the
warmth and kindness extended to us in San Carlos de Bariloche. We also
wish to express our special appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina for the excellent
manner in which it organized this Summit and for the performance of the
secretariat pro tempore of the fifth Ibero-American Summit.
41. We invite all Heads of State and Government to attend the sixth Ibero-
American Summit to be held in the Republic of Chile in 1996.
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
PART II: COOPERATION RESULTING FROM THE SUMMIT MEETINGS
OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American countries,
agree to give the highest priority to building on our common interests in
order to deepen the sense of identity of the Ibero-American community,
strengthen the development of each of the countries comprising it and
intensify relations with countries belonging to other geographical or
cultural communities.
2. The existence of a common basis of communication among all of the
Ibero-American nations as a result of our use of two closely related
languages, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as our shared historical,
cultural, moral and educational traditions, will enable us, the members of
the Ibero-American community, to forge closer linkages among our societies
on the threshold of the twenty-first century. This process will be aided
by the technological advances which have overcome the obstacle of distance.
3. We, the Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American countries,
aware of the vital role of communications in furthering the progress of our
peoples and wishing to foster development through processes that stimulate
the interrelationship among our societies, agree to give high priority to
identifying and implementing cooperation programmes which will draw the
citizens of our countries together by weaving a common economic and social
fabric. In this connection, we hereby establish the guiding principles of
the Ibero-American cooperation activities resulting from the summit
meetings of the Ibero-American Conference.
4. Cooperation programmes should serve as ideal operational tools for
strengthening the Ibero-American identity in all of the member countries.
Our aim is to support initiatives that mobilize society in order to
generate development and build linkages among our peoples. These
programmes shall seek to include all of the member countries of the
Conference.
5. Cooperation is also a manifestation of solidarity among the Ibero-
American countries in dealing with common problems; thus, by definition, it
involves the participation and contributions of all of the countries,
taking their relative levels of development into account. Implementation
and follow-up mechanisms should be based on the specific programmes adopted
at the summit meetings.
6. In view of the need to facilitate Ibero-American cooperation, we agree
to establish a network of national focal points to screen the projects
proposed for adoption at our summit meetings and a network of cooperation
officials to identify and prepare new programmes and to oversee the
operations of existing ones.
7. The effectiveness demonstrated by our secretariat pro tempore in
preparing for the Ibero-American Summits leads us to believe that this
mechanism would be equally effective in organizing Ibero-American
cooperation activities.
8. On the understanding that the network of cooperation officials is the
core structure for Ibero-American cooperation, we agree to give the highest
priority to consolidating and strengthening it, whether by establishing
appropriate and expeditious procedures or by providing it with
interconnected computer systems.
9. To be eligible for adoption at these Ibero-American summit meetings,
programmes and projects involving Ibero-American cooperation must be
sponsored by at least seven of our member countries and must be endorsed at
the meetings of cooperation officials and national focal points.
10. We Heads of State and Government recognize the importance of the
financial and/or technical resources which our countries set aside in
advance for the adoption of cooperation programmes and projects of mutual
interest, since these resources bear witness to the priority given to such
initiatives and will ensure their successful completion.
11. Cooperation programmes and projects adopted at the Ibero-American
summit meetings shall be co-financed by all of the participating countries.
The proportions of the contributions may vary according to the nature of
the activities and the economic capacity of the parties. Each country
shall specify what it can afford to contribute during the process of
selecting the programmes and projects.
12. It will also be possible to use outside sources for the financing of
cooperative programmes and projects, on the initiative and with the
agreement of national focal points and cooperation officials and in
accordance with the terms of the corresponding framework agreement.
13. Participating countries will also be able, if they so decide, to
establish integrated trust funds for the financing of their programmes and
projects. At the time of the creation of each fund, its amount and the
procedures for its management and winding-up will be established in
accordance with each country's legislation. Each fund can be set up, at
the initiative of one or more States, for programmes and projects approved
at the summit meetings.
14. We are convinced that the types of financing and the mechanisms which
we adopt, in accordance with our national laws, will be the best ones for
strengthening and consolidating Ibero-American cooperation. Those
countries which deem it necessary will be able to provide for the creation
of a specific budget line to facilitate the financing of programmes
resulting from the summit meetings, without prejudice to the possibility of
seeking resources elsewhere for the implementation of approved projects.
Any moves to establish common funds will be welcome and there is no reason
why, at some point in the future, there should not be initiatives and
support for the creation of an Ibero-American cooperation fund.
15. We therefore welcome the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation in
the Framework of the Ibero-American Conference, which will serve as an
appropriate instrument for progress towards such goals.
16. Having received the report of the meeting of national focal points
and cooperation officials which analyses proposals for cooperation
programmes, projects and initiatives, we agree to the following:
Of current programmes, we endorse those listed below, for which the
participating countries will determine the technical and/or financial
commitments entered into:
-Ibero-American Educational Television programme
-MUTIS programme
-Adult literacy and basic education programme
- CYTED programme
- CIDEU programme
- Indigenous Peoples' Fund.
Regarding those programmes approved at previous summit meetings whose
implementation has not yet begun, we agree to call upon the countries
concerned to adapt them to the cooperation mechanisms adopted at this
summit meeting.
We also accept and approve the following programmes and projects,
including those supported by the latest Ibero-American Conference on
Education, in expectation that they will be formulated fully and adapted to
the new cooperation mechanisms:
(a)Programme of support for links between universities and the business
community
(b)Programme of cooperation for the development of national systems to
evaluate the quality of education
(c)Ibero-American project for the promotion of reading
(d)New lines of the MUTIS fellowship programme
(e)IBERFOP programme (Ibero-American programme for cooperation in the
joint design of vocational training systems)
(f)IBERMADE programme (Ibero-American programme for the retraining of
education administrators
(g)Project for the conversion of military bases into an Ibero-American
teacher training centre
(h)Project for exchanges of experience in the field of decentralization:
technology transfer and allocation of resources; direct application
(i)Support for the self-management process with a view to the creation
of agro-industries in Ibero-American communities
(j)MISTRAL programme (exchange programme for intermediate-level
university students)
(k)IBERCAMPUS programme (inter-university exchanges of students and
lecturers during periods when academic calendars do not coincide)
(l)IBERMEDIA programme (programme to develop audiovisual capabilities in
the Ibero-American countries)
(m)IBERENCUENTROS programme (programme of Ibero-American workshop on
topics to be determined by cooperation officials during the current year).
A detailed description of these programmes is given in annex A to this
document.
We welcome the initiatives listed below, which have been presented by the
countries members of the Ibero-American Conference:
(a)Establishment of mechanisms for transfers of know-how and expertise in
the area of export development and promotion
(b)Establishment of mechanisms for transfers of know-how and expertise in
the agricultural sector
(c)Creation of a visual archive of Ibero-American art
(d) Sustainable rural development of ecologically vulnerable areas
(e) PRIAS (Regional Plan for Investments in Environment and Health)
(f) CISCE (Ibero-American Export Credit Guarantee Company)
(g) Ibero-American cooperation mechanism with a permanent headquarters
(h)FIICYT (Ibero-American Fund for Scientific and Technological
Integration)
(i)Ibero-American exhibition of plastic arts. Biennial
(j) Public administration data management programme
(k)CIJE (Ibero-American Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs)
(l) PRADJAL (Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Youth)
(m)Ibero-American exchanges of research workers
(n)United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) participation in municipal programmes through Ibero-American
Educational Television
(o)Education and the creation of businesses for local development
(p)Ibero-American network of excellence in public administration and
training of leaders
(q)Improvement of coffee quality and decontamination
(r)Model programme of international training in participatory and
sustainable development
(s)Bridges across Borders
(t)Special education
A detailed description of these programmes is given in annex B to this
document.
17. We feel that this wealth of programmes and initiatives is an ideal
channel for the development of the Ibero-American community.
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
COOPERATION RESULTING FROM THE SUMMIT MEETINGS
OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
ANNEX A - CURRENT PROGRAMMES
Ibero-American Educational Television. Approved by the second Ibero-
American Summit, it is managed by an association of its users (currently
250 associated institutions), with the full support of ministries of
education and with participation from the major Ibero-American
universities. Regular daily programming using the HISPASAT satellite began
with one-hour broadcasts in 1993. There are now two hours of daily
programming for Ibero-America and one for Spain and Portugal. In addition
to meeting the objective of communication in the educational field, it has
helped to encourage the co-production of indigenous broadcasts. Spain
undertook to finance the programme's initial phase and has been
contributing some 300 million pesetas annually. To ensure that the project
continues, all Ibero-American Governments must provide stable financing,
both to defray infrastructure costs and to fund the co-production of
audiovisual educational materials. The cooperation officials' network will
take a decision on this issue as soon as possible.
MUTIS programme. Approved at the second Ibero-American Summit, this
programme provides support for exchanges of post-graduate students in those
disciplines of greatest importance for the development of the Ibero-
American community. Since 1993, Spain has been providing 400 new
fellowships annually, many of them multi-year fellowships. In 1994,
Argentina and Mexico began similar programmes.
Adult literacy and basic education programme. Approved at the second
Ibero-American Summit, this programme, in the areas where it is operating,
seeks to teach up to 25 per cent of illiterates to read and write and to
raise their basic educational level, while at the same time providing them
with some kind of vocational training that will give them genuine access to
the workforce. Programmes began in 1993 in El Salvador and the Dominican
Republic, thanks to a cooperative effort between the Spanish Ministry of
Education and Science, the ministries of education of the two countries and
the organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and
Culture. The programme has 3,350 literacy workers and, to date, 33,000
people have been reached under the programme in El Salvador and 40,000 in
the Dominican Republic. Paraguay has requested to join the programme.
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CYTED programme. Set up at the second Ibero-American Summit, this
programme involves the participation of nearly 8,000 university scientists
and technologists, a research and development centre and businesses in 140
thematic networks, research projects and IBEROEKA innovation projects. In
1995 a study group drew up an Agenda 2004 for the future development of the
programme. This will require the 21 countries to increase their
contributions to the programme budget, an issue to which the cooperation
officials' network will devote its full attention.
CIDEU (Ibero-American Centre for Strategic Urban Development) Programme.
Set up at the second and third Ibero-American Summits, CIDEU began
operating in 1993 and currently involves 33 cities in 15 countries.
Agreements have been signed with the Spanish International Cooperation
Agency and IDB. As a follow-up to the conclusions of the 1995 annual
meeting, civic leaders will receive more training in the planning and
design of social policies and a framework will be established for exchanges
of information between mayors and entrepreneurs, incorporating operational
information about investment projects in the participating cities, with a
view to facilitating the creation of a market for strategic urban projects
in Ibero-America.
Indigenous Peoples' Fund . The agreement establishing the Fund was signed
at the second Ibero-American Summit and ratified in 1995 by more than 11
countries. Its aim is to set up a support mechanism for sustainable
development processes among the indigenous peoples of Latin America and the
Caribbean. The structure of the Fund was formalized at the first general
meeting held in May 1995. It also provides a forum for the discussion and
design of indigenous development policies agreed upon by all the parties
concerned: indigenous peoples and regional and extraregional Governments.
The Fund will have its own resource base, in the form of contributions from
the member countries.
NEW PROGRAMMES APPROVED
(a)Programme of support for links between universities and the business
community. The aim is: to strengthen links between universities and
businesses in the region, in response to prevailing social and economic
circumstances, and to promote scientific and technological research in
order to further the modernization process; to conduct studies on
curriculum design and/or major fields of study and/or specialized courses,
so as to adapt them to changing production patterns in areas where a high
level of scientific know-how is required; and to design a compatible system
for promoting basic and applied research on scientific and technological
development related to the production system.
(b)Programme of cooperation for the development of national systems to
evaluate the quality of education. The aim is: to prepare a database for
use in evaluating quality, with a view to identifying the training and
technical assistance needs and demands of each country in the region, as
well as any programmes in specific fields that might be generated by
individual countries; and to develop an alternative system for evaluating
the quality of education, bearing in mind the characteristics of
IberoAmerican educational systems. To this end, an attempt will be made to
train local resources to provide backstopping for the establishment of
evaluation systems that are consistent with the region's needs.
(c)Ibero-American project for the promotion of reading. This programme is
designed to promote cooperation among the Ibero-American countries with a
view to executing a pilot project whereby institutions responsible for
designing educational policies, especially ministries of education, would
be provided with the necessary tools to implement policies for updating
methods of teaching reading and writing. It would also offer these
entities effective mechanisms for facilitating the access of teachers and
students to reading materials.
(d)MUTIS. New actions. Expansion of the current programme along the
following lines: 1. implementation of joint doctoral programmes among two
or more Ibero-American universities; 2. exchanges, for short periods of
time, of doctoral candidates who are in the process of writing their
thesis.
(e)IBERFOP. Ibero-American programme for cooperation in the joint design
of vocational training systems. The aim is to design, with the active
participation of social agents, models for vocational training systems that
are adapted to the specific needs of each country, in order to develop an
Ibero-American capability in this area. The Spanish International
Cooperation Agency will set up and finance, for a two-year period, the
technical unit responsible for coordinating and developing this programme.
(f)IBERMADE. Ibero-American programme for the retraining of education
administrators. The programme involves the training of education
administrators and future managers, with a view to improving the management
and organization of the agencies concerned, in order to develop an Ibero-
American capability in this field. The Spanish International Cooperation
Agency will set up and finance, for a five-year period, the technical unit
responsible for coordinating and developing this programme.
(g)Project for the conversion of military bases into an Ibero-American
teacher training centre. This is a programme for converting the physical
facilities previously used for military bases in the Panama Canal Zone into
an Ibero-American centre of excellence for the design and planning of
educational programmes. It will train resources, teachers and teachers'
aides in order to develop an Ibero-American capability in this field and
train future teaching staff.
(h)Ibero-American project for exchanges of experience in the field of
decentralization: technology transfer and allocation of resources. Direct
application. The aim is to enable all the Ibero-American countries to
share their experiences in the area of administrative decentralization,
especially with regard to the management of resources for technology
transfer, both in the definition and formulation of distribution policies
and in their management and application by territorial entity, in each of
the sectors concerned.
(i)Support for the self-management process with a view to the creation of
agroindustries in Ibero-American communities. The aim is to provide
technical assistance to Ibero-American communities in managing their own
agroindustrial projects, making use of know-how acquired through existing
experiments as to the different types of social and entrepreneurial
organization within the social economy, the ultimate goal being to
strengthen their capacity for hiring, negotiating, reaching agreement and
fostering community participation, through the application of
organizational models for setting up pilot projects and technology transfer
processes designed to provide entrepreneurial training to these
communities.
(j)MISTRAL. This programme will support exchanges by university students
taking intermediate courses in the first and second cycles, so that they
can receive part of their training at a university in another IberoAmerican
country and be given credit by their own university for the time spent on
the exchange programme. Over the medium term, participating universities
will reach agreements with universities in other IberoAmerican countries.
The Institute of Ibero-American Cooperation of the Spanish International
Cooperation Agency (AECI) will set up and finance, for a three-year period,
the technical unit responsible for coordinating and developing this
programme.
(k)IBERCAMPUS. This programme supports exchanges by university lecturers
and by students who are completing degree programmes or taking graduate
courses, during periods when academic calendars do not coincide, so that
they can work with host departments in other Ibero-American universities.
The Institute of Ibero-American Cooperation of AECI will set up and
finance, for a three-year period, the technical unit responsible for
coordinating and developing this programme.
(l)IBERMEDIA. This programme will support the development of audiovisual
capabilities in the Ibero-American countries by providing continuous
training for professionals, undertaking co-productions, supporting the
distribution and showing of Ibero-American films and supporting applied
research projects. The Institute of Ibero-American Cooperation of AECI
will set up and finance, for a two-year period, the technical unit
responsible for coordinating and developing this programme.
(m)IBERENCUENTROS. This is a framework programme which will promote
sectoral meetings for the exchange and sharing of experiences. The idea is
that these meetings might serve as a starting-point for future cooperation
programmes. Each participating country will, in so far as it is able, send
its most appropriate officials to the meetings, and one of the member
countries will act as secretariat for the meeting. During the course of
this year, the network of cooperation officials will determine what areas
of action are to be covered in 1996.
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
COOPERATION RESULTING FROM THE SUMMIT MEETINGS
OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
ANNEX B - INITIATIVES WELCOMED
(a)Establishment of mechanisms for transfers of know-how and expertise in
the area of export development and promotion
The aim is to establish mechanisms for exchanges of information and
experience in those areas which countries see as offering advantages and in
areas in where there has been successful penetration of new markets.
(b)Establishment of mechanisms for transfers of know-how and expertise in
the agricultural sector
The aim is to establish mechanisms for transfers of information and
expertise from countries that have been successful in modernizing this
sector to those that still need to do so, in order to work together to
solve the problems confronting agriculture in Ibero-America.
(c)Creation of a visual archive of Ibero-American art
The aim is to create a computerized archive of Ibero-American art in image
form, starting from a prototype of 1,000 images with their texts,
classified by country and historical period.
(d)Sustainable rural development of ecologically vulnerable areas
The object is to help generate a self-sustaining development process in the
region's ecologically vulnerable areas, thereby bringing about an
improvement in the quality of life of their populations.
(e)PRIAS (Regional Plan for Investments in Environment and Health)
The intention is to modernize environment- and health-related sectors in
order to tackle current deficiencies in meeting the population's needs and
improving its living conditions.
(f)CISCE (Ibero-American Export Credit Guarantee Company)
The proposal is to set up a support mechanism for intraregional trade which
can offer the requisite diversity of policies to cover the different risks
involved in international trade, particularly credit-related risks. The
network of cooperation officials will study the possibility of converting
this initiative into a programme within the framework of the Cooperation
Agreement.
(g)Ibero-American cooperation mechanism with a permanent headquarters
The proposal is to set up an international agency responsible for the
establishment and coordination of a network permitting ongoing follow-up of
cooperation programmes.
(h)FIICYT (Ibero-American Fund for Scientific and Technological
Integration)
The aim is to set up an Ibero-American fund to promote the region's
scientific and technological development by encouraging the use of research
and training centres, the generation and execution of research and
development projects, contacts among Ibero-American scientists and the
building of an Ibero-American community of scientists and technologists.
(i)Ibero-American exhibition of plastic arts. Biennial
The possibility will be considered of mounting an exhibition of plastic
arts, comprising works from all the Ibero-American countries, to coincide
with the next Ibero-American Summit. The exhibition would then travel,
over the following two years, to countries that so requested and defrayed
the related shipping costs.
(j)Public administration data management programme
Establishment of a standing forum on public administration and problems of
Government.
(k)CIAG (Ibero-American Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs)
The Ibero-American Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs will hold its
second Ibero-American conference in Montevideo in 1996.
(l)PRADJAL (Latin American and Caribbean Regional Programme for Youth)
Creation of greater opportunities for employment , education and
participation of public institutions in youth questions and promotion of
the health and social integration of young people.
(m)Ibero-American exchanges of research workers
Promotion, through training, of human resources of the quality and in the
quantity required to conduct research and development programmes and
projects in research centres and exchanges of experience in the research
area.
(n)UNESCO participation in municipal programmes through Ibero-American
Educational Television
In the framework of Ibero-American Educational Television, UNESCO will
support activities for the training of municipal leaders and managers.
(o)Education and the creation of businesses for local development
The aim is to contribute to local, provincial and regional growth by
developing a culture which will increase production initiatives. This
proposal explores the notion of the "business process" of which
entrepreneurs, enterprises, universities, the State and industry all form a
part.
(p)Ibero-American network of excellence in public administration and
training of leaders
Encouragement will be given to the establishment of an Ibero-American
network of excellence in public administration and training of leaders
which will include the main training and research centres in this area and
will have specific offices for conducting activities which need to be
coordinated and carried out at a specific location. The Spanish
International Cooperation Agency, through its Institute of Ibero-American
Cooperation, will support the operational organization of this initiative
and its initial launching phase.
(q)Improvement of coffee quality and decontamination
The aim is to help improve the quality of coffee in a context of
sustainability and environmental conservation and thereby to improve the
quality of life both of the growers who participate directly in the project
and of the populations that use the water resources of the river basins
covered by the project.
(r)Model programme of international training in participatory and
sustainable development
The aim is to manage and secure the integrated, participatory and
sustainable development of the region while creating a living regional
laboratory for research and training in self-managed development.
(s)Bridges across Borders
Implementation of a system of exchanges of schoolchildren between the ages
of 11 and 15 in their last year of primary school and coming from schools
named after an Ibero-American country or a recognized Ibero-American leader
from the past, in order to help bring children together and get them to
know each other better.
(t)Special education
The aim is to set up a regional programme for the education of children and
young people with problems of backwardness, disability and other
disadvantages.
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION IN THE FRAMEWORK
OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
The Governments of the States members of the Ibero-American Conference,
CONSIDERING
THE DEVELOPMENT achieved through cooperation projects and programmes
implemented within the framework of the summit meetings of the Ibero-
American Conference,
THE NEED to establish an institutional framework to regulate cooperation
within the framework of the summit meetings of the Ibero-American
Conference, in order to enhance the value of the existing political
dialogue and Ibero-American solidarity,
THE APPROPRIATENESS of setting up cooperation programmes which promote
citizen participation in the establishment of a more cohesive economic,
social and cultural relationship among the Ibero-American nations,
THE FACT THAT THE COOPERATION PROGRAMMES of the summit meetings are a
catalyst for social progress and an important factor for shaping an Ibero-
American identity,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the terms "national focal
points", "secretariat pro tempore", "Coordinating Committee" and "meeting
of cooperation officials" shall mean the national focal points, secretariat
pro tempore, Coordinating Committee and meeting of cooperation officials of
the Conference.
Article 2. The purpose of cooperation programmes and projects within the
framework of the Ibero-American Conference shall be:
(a) to promote an Ibero-American identity through joint action in the
areas of education, culture, science and technology;
(b) to strengthen participation by member States in order to contribute to
greater and more effective links between their societies and to a sense of
Ibero-American identity among their populations;
(c) to give practical expression to the concept of cooperation for
development among the Ibero-American nations;
(d) to demonstrate Ibero-American solidarity in the face of common
problems affecting one group or all of the member States;
(e) To promote the creation of a vehicle for Ibero-American cooperation
through school and university exchange programmes, programmes of
technological training, links between research workers and any other
initiatives that might strengthen the capacity for shared cultural
creativity, with particular emphasis on the mass media.
Article 3. The Ibero-American Conference understands the development of
its sphere of cooperation as being specific to the Ibero-American area and
in no circumstances as superseding existing bilateral and/or multilateral
mechanisms.
Article 4. Each member country shall give notice through its national
focal point, of the appointment of an official to follow up all programmes
and projects adopted by the Ibero-American summit meetings.
The meetings of cooperation officials shall be timed to coincide with the
meeting of national focal points of the Ibero-American Conference.
Additional meetings may be scheduled at the request of at least five member
States.
Article 5. Cooperation officials may in respect of each programme and
project approved by the Ibero-American summit meetings establish a team
composed of cooperation experts from the member countries involved in the
relevant programme or project to review and provide an assessment of the
cooperation programmes and projects entrusted to them for consideration.
Article 6. The member countries shall strengthen and expand their
cooperation within the framework of the summit meetings, in areas to be
identified at those meetings. This will be done through the implementation
of projects or programmes of relevance to the Ibero-American countries,
such as scientific exchanges, exchanges of experience and publications,
technology transfer and support for human resources training, which will
help to ensure the optimum development of those countries.
Article 7. Cooperation within the framework of the Ibero-American
Conference may be technical and/or financial.
Article 8. States parties may present programmes and projects to the
secretariat pro tempore by the deadline set by that secretariat.
Such projects and programmes must satisfy the following conditions:
(a) Their purpose must be consistent with the programme guidelines of this
Agreement;
(b) They must have the firm support of no less than three Ibero-American
countries - the country making the submission and two or more participating
countries;
(c) They must be of fixed duration and the related budgetary commitments
must be maintained for a period of no less than three years to cover any
delays in start-up. If the project is terminated before the three-year
period is up, the relevant commitment will come to an end.
Article 9. The parties hereby adopt the operating handbook annexed to this
Agreement, which may be updated whenever this is considered necessary to
adapt it to the requirements of Ibero-American cooperation.
Article 10. Proposing and/or participating countries, which shall number
at least three, shall, at the time of submitting a programme or project,
enter into a financial and/or technical commitment covering part of the
costs of its implementation, in accordance with the internal procedures of
each party. Countries joining later shall make a similar commitment.
Proposing countries shall send the corresponding proposals to the
secretariat pro tempore for circulating among the other parties.
Article 11. Once a project or programme has been circulated and has been
endorsed by at least seven countries, which shall enter into the
corresponding commitments in accordance with the procedures mentioned in
the previous article, it shall be submitted for consideration to the
cooperation officials, who, if they see fit, shall submit it for approval
to the summit meeting, through the national focal points.
Decisions on the expansion of programmes and projects shall be taken by
the countries participating in them.
Article 12. Once a programme or project has been approved by consensus,
the meeting of cooperation officials shall determine the measures necessary
to ensure follow-up of the implementation of the programme or project.
Where this is considered necessary for a given programme or project, the
cooperation officials may propose to the meeting of national focal points
that a technical management unit be established, answerable to the member
States participating in that programme or project.
The participating countries may, jointly with the Coordinating Committee,
periodically evaluate ongoing programmes and projects in order to report
thereon to the cooperation officials and determine whether they remain
relevant and valid.
Article 13. Programmes and projects submitted in accordance with the
provisions of article 8, provided with adequate funding and approved in
accordance with established procedures shall be formalized through specific
agreements establishing the objectives, degrees of participation and forms
of contribution of each participating country, based on its relative level
of development.
In order to cover the total costs of the projected activities,
arrangements may be made, jointly or separately, for obtaining the
necessary resources from both domestic and other sources of technical and
financial cooperation.
Those countries that so decide, in accordance with their domestic
legislation and provisions, may agree to establish alternative forms of
funding, for example, trust funds or common funds, among others.
Article 14. This Agreement is subject to ratification. The Government of
the Argentine Republic shall be the depositary of the instruments of
ratification.
Article 15. This Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day
from the date on which the seventh instrument of ratification is deposited.
For each State that ratifies the Agreement after the seventh instrument
of ratification has been deposited, the Agreement shall enter into force on
the thirtieth day from the date on which that State deposits its instrument
of ratification.
Article 16. This Agreement may be modified or amended on the proposal of
at least five of the parties. Proposals for amendments shall be
communicated by the secretariat pro tempore to the other parties.
Once approved by consensus, amendments shall enter into force on the date
on which they are accepted by a majority of the parties by means of the
deposit of the relevant instrument of acceptance. For all other parties,
they shall apply from the date on which such parties deposit the relevant
instrument of acceptance in the manner indicated in this article.
Article 17. This Agreement shall be of indefinite duration and may be
denounced by any of the parties by means of written notification to the
depositary. Such denunciation shall take effect one year after the date on
which notification is received by the depositary.
Article 18. The partial or total amendment of this Agreement, including
its termination of denunciation, shall not, unless the parties agree
otherwise, affect ongoing programmes and projects.
Article 19. Questions of interpretation of this Agreement shall be
considered by the meeting of cooperation officials and resolved, by
consensus, by the meeting of national focal points.
SIGNED at the fifth summit meeting of the Ibero-American Conference in
the city of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, on 15 October 1995.
_________________________ ___________________________
ARGENTINABOLIVIA
_________________________ ___________________________
BRAZILCOLOMBIA
_________________________ ___________________________
COSTA RICACUBA
_________________________ ___________________________
CHILEDOMINICAN REPUBLIC
_________________________
___________________________
ECUADOREL SALVADOR
_________________________ ___________________________
GUATEMALAHONDURAS
_________________________ ___________________________
MEXICONICARAGUA
_________________________ ___________________________
PANAMAPARAGUAY
_________________________ ___________________________
PERUPORTUGAL
_________________________ ___________________________
SPAINURUGUAY
_________________________
VENEZUELA
BARILOCHE DECLARATION
PART III: MATTERS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
We, the Heads of State and Government of Ibero-America:
1. Reaffirm that democracy and respect for the human rights and
fundamental freedoms of the individual constitute the basic values of the
peoples of Ibero-America; and
2. Anxious to establish closer relations with other culturally related
geographical areas, consider that the fortuitous circumstance that Spain
currently occupies the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the
European Union has been instrumental in giving fresh impetus to relations
between Latin America and Europe. Evidence of that development is the
agreement reached in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 29 September 1995 between the
European Union and the countries members of the Southern Cone Common Market
(MERCOSUR) to conclude a framework agreement for interregional cooperation
at the council meeting in Madrid in December of this year, as well as the
talks begun with Chile and Mexico aimed at producing agreements
strengthening economic, trade and political relations and the dialogue
recently opened with Cuba.
3. At the same time, we wish to assert our interest in continuing, with
the support of Spain and Portugal, the dialogue established between the
European Union and the Rio Group, the Andean Pact and also the San Jose
talks with Central America.
4. In the strong belief that concrete, broad strategies must be
developed and applied to fight corruption, we reiterate our commitment to
adopt cooperation mechanisms to combat that criminal activity because it
weakens the democratic system, undermines the prestige of its institutions
and constitutes an agent of social disintegration and distortion of the
economic system.
5. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to continue the fight against
drug consumption, production and illicit trafficking and related crimes.
We firmly believe that unless we win that battle, our societies in Latin
America and our democracies will be placed in jeopardy. Consequently, it
is essential that we find a comprehensive solution to the problem,
encompassing the social and economic aspects, and commit ourselves by
mutual agreement to bring about a significant and verifiable drop in drug
use and a substantial reduction in supply. We further consider that strong
measures must be taken against moneylaundering, the distributor
organizations, traffic in weapons and illicit trafficking in chemical
precursors. To that end, we urge the developed drugconsumer countries to
take steps to combat the laundering of drug money in their financial
markets. Furthermore, we reaffirm our support for the convening of a world
conference to combat narcotic drugs and shall instruct our Permanent
Representatives to the United Nations to coordinate appropriate measures
for holding the conference under the aegis of the United Nations in order
to achieve the desired results.
We also confirm our support for the drafting of an inter-American
convention against money-laundering and pledge ourselves to work together
in order to get the major consumer countries to shoulder their
responsibility for resolving the problem with greater transparency and
decisiveness.
6. We reiterate our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and our
commitment jointly and determinedly to combat by all legal means that
scourge which violates human rights.
7. We profoundly deplore all nuclear testing, in particular the tests
recently conducted in the Pacific Ocean. Any such test is a potential
danger to health, security and the environment. We call upon all States to
discontinue nuclear tests.
We urge all countries to sign a comprehensive test-ban treaty not later
than June 1996. Pending its entry into force, we encourage them to respect
the precautionary principle stated in the Rio Declaration on Environment
and Development, as well as the pledge of the nuclear States to comply with
the principles and goals approved at the Review and Extension Conference of
the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
8. Consistent with the principles established in the Charter of the
United Nations, by the World Trade Organization and in international law
and with the resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, we
reject all unilateral coercive measures that affect the well-being of the
peoples of Ibero-America, impede free trade and universally recognized
transparent trade practices and violate the principles of regional
coexistence and the sovereignty of States.
At the moment, we are especially concerned about the normative changes
being discussed in the Congress of the United States, because they would
takeusin adirection contrarytothoseprinciples, withwhich weurge compliance.
9. In the context of the common interests of the Ibero-American
community, we welcome the proposal of the Republic of Panama to convene a
universal congress on the Panama Canal in 1997 to consider the process of
transferring the interoceanic waterway in 1999 and its future
modernization.
10. We wish to express our gratification that the Fund for the
Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean
held its first general meeting at Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in May
1995 and that it was followed by round-table talks aimed at an agreed
schedule of development projects, thus demonstrating the importance
attributed to that Ibero-American Summit cooperation programme, which is
supported by funds from the Inter-American Development Bank and other
sizeable contributions.
We reaffirm the intention of our countries to support the Fund through
our institutions and resources and to keep the item on the agenda so that
we may consider other proposals for promoting the legitimate aspirations of
indigenous peoples.
We wish once more to stress how important it is for all countries to
ratify the agreement constituting the Fund.
11. We are very pleased by the resolution adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly on 12 July last whereby it decided to proclaim the World
Week of Peace, beginning on 24 October 1995, in solemn commemoration of the
fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. In conformity with that
important resolution, we are prepared to give maximum publicity and
assistance to the launching of the proclamation, which will undoubtedly
enhance the prospects for inaugurating a period of universal peace. We
place special emphasis on the need to promote a culture of peace in Ibero-
America that honours the values of dialogue and understanding.
12. In view of the progress and successes of the peace and
reconciliation process in Guatemala, we have decided to support the efforts
of that Government and we urge the parties to strive for a firm and lasting
peace. Furthermore, we urge the United Nations, the Group of Friends of
the Guatemalan peace process and especially the Ibero-American community to
continue to encourage them to expedite the negotiations so as to achieve a
final peace agreement as soon as possible.
13. Considering that this fifth Ibero-American Summit is being held only
a few days prior to the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the
United Nations, we wish to reiterate our strong support for the principles
and purposes that inspired the creation of the Organization and we solemnly
pledge to support it in its irreplaceable role as the forum of preference
for dialogue and concerted action between the Ibero-American countries and
the rest of the international community.
14. We should like to draw attention to the importance of the annual
meeting of human rights ombudsmen, commissioners and counsels of Ibero-
America that was held in Cartagena on 4 and 5 August 1995.
In that connection, we value the important role played by the institution
of human rights ombudsmen and counsels, in those countries where they
exist, in defending fundamental rights and guarantees and consolidating
democracy.
15. As we said at the Salvador de Bahia (1993) and Cartagena (1994)
summit meetings, we shall continue to support the efforts of the Secretary-
General of the United Nations to reach a just, global and internationally
acceptable solution to the question of East Timor in the framework of the
norms and principles of international law.
16. We believe that the development and quality of human settlements,
housing, basic infrastructure and the environment should be regarded as
priority aspects of the economic and social policies of our countries. For
that purpose, resources will be provided to meet the needs of the
population, particularly the most impoverished and vulnerable segments, by
applying a strategy calling for concentration of efforts by central,
regional and local governments and private and community initiatives.
17. We welcome and support the position adopted by the Central American
Presidents meeting at Costa del Sol, El Salvador, on 5 October 1995,
whereby they reiterated their commitment to continue to improve the Central
American educational system and their intention to eradicate illiteracy by
the year 2000. The Presidents accorded the highest priority to the
literacy project in the context of the Alliance for Sustainable
Development.
We also reaffirm our support for the efforts of the Central American
countries to adopt a literacy primer promoting the spirit, unity, values
and identity of their region within the broader framework of the Ibero-
American community.
18. We wish to express our support for the selection (to be made at
UNESCO headquarters on 20 November 1995) of South America as the site in
the southern hemisphere for installing an extensive detection system for
the "AUGER" project to investigate emission sources of very-high-energy
cosmic rays, a subject of great interest to the international scientific
community.
19. We appreciate the initiative taken by the Latin American Parliament
to establish a Latin American community of nations.
To that end, we, the leaders of Latin America, are instructing our
foreign ministers to establish a high-level committee which, in
collaboration with the Latin American Parliament, will propose a timetable
and set in motion the studies necessary for the constitution of the Latin
American community of nations and define its relationship with the Ibero-
American community.
20. We wish to draw particular attention to the importance of the draft
Ibero-American social security code presented to this Summit by the
ministers and other officials responsible for social security matters, and
to the very important goals and objectives it embodies.
21. We support the efforts of the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO) to implement its programmes and policies, in
particular with regard to food security. We endorse the proposal by the
Director-General of FAO to convene a World Food Summit in November 1996 and
call upon all financial institutions, international governmental and non-
governmental organizations and the private sector to support those
programmes.
22. The holding in 1998 of the Lisbon World Exposition, "EXPO 98", on
the theme of the oceans as our heritage for the future is an event of great
interest to our community because it promises to offer a clearer
understanding of the proper management of water resources and the
protection of the environment.
23. We have welcomed the recommendations of the tenth congress of
associations of Academies of the Spanish Language, held at Madrid in 1994.
We shall encourage the implementation in Spanish-speaking countries to the
extent possible of the proposals contained in the annex.
24. We were gratified by the first meeting of the Ibero-American
Ministers and Secretaries of State recently held in Santiago. We endorse
the joint declaration adopted at that meeting and urge the consolidation of
this important forum for dialogue and reflection.
25. We attach particular importance to the recommendations of the
technical meeting on the strengthening of mechanisms for follow-up and
evaluation of the targets for children of the Narino Commitment, held in
the city of Antigua, Guatemala, from 16 to 18 October 1995. In the context
of sustainable development, we assume responsibility for according priority
to economic and social policy measures that will benefit children.
26. Within the Ibero-American community, we shall promote the
dissemination of the Spanish language in Portuguese-speaking countries and
the Portuguese language in Spanish-speaking countries.
27. We are following with interest the evolution of the policy
initiative to establish a community of Portuguese-speaking countries. We
look forward to establishing a dialogue and fruitful cooperation between
the Ibero-American region and that community.
28. We reiterate our support for the Regional Plan for Investments in
Environment and Health adopted at the second Ibero-American Summit, and
request the Pan American Health Organization to continue to accord priority
to activities to implement the Plan.
29. We are gratified by he progress being made in implementing the
Regional Programme for Youth (PRADJAL), the execution of which we entrusted
to the Ibero-American Youth Organization of the Organization of Ibero-
American States for Education, Science and Culture, within the framework of
the 1994 Cartagena Summit. We are confident that the attainment of the
objectives set out in the programme of action will go far towards creating
greater opportunities for young people with respect to employment,
education, participation, health and social integration, and we therefore
reiterate our pledge to lend the full support of our Governments to ensure
the success of the programme.
30. We reaffirm our support for the development of the Bolivar plan for
integration, innovation and industrial competitiveness and we urge
entrepreneurs to work together to forge closer industrial, technological
and scientific cooperation between the private sector and research
institutes.
31. We are gratified to note the significant contribution being made to
cultural development in the Ibero-American region by the Periolibros
project, which is being executed by UNESCO and the Fund for Economic
Culture; the project is an example of integration and cooperation involving
the communications media, public institutions and private companies.
32. We consider it relevant and useful to continue to examine the
possibility of setting up an Ibero-American computer network to establish a
computer link among the countries of Ibero-America.
33. We appreciate the efforts under way to establish and launch the
Ibero-American social security systems data bank. A draft project to that
effect has been worked out by the Ibero-American Social Security
Organization (OISS), and we encourage that it be further developed.
34. We are pleased to note the establishment in Canada on 14 September
1995 of a Chair of Ibero-American Studies as part of the Ibero-American
languages and cultures programme, an innovative and forwardlooking example
of cooperation between the private sector, an academic institution and the
Ibero-American countries to further common goals.
35. We note the follow-up report submitted by Spain on the status of the
Ibero-American Export Credit Guarantee Company. We are in favour of a
having a consulting firm prepare a specialized study on the subject.
36. On this twentieth anniversary of the Latin American Economic System,
we wish to point out the important role of this organization in promoting
consultations and concerted action on matters of interest to the region and
its contribution to cooperation within and outside the region.
37. With a view to undertaking coordinated action in the Ibero-American
community to deal with unemployment arising from migratory flows of
unemployed workers among the countries of the community as a result of the
increase in their respective unemployment rates, we Heads of State and
Government agree to accord special attention to the matter in the agenda
for the sixth IberoAmerican Summit.
38. Bearing in mind the need to modernize and harmonize practices
relating to asylum, we Heads of State and Government have decided to
recommend that the Coordinating Committee of the Ibero-American Summit
should convene an Ibero-American meeting on asylum with a view to examining
and, if necessary, updating legislation on the subject.
To that end, the Committee might wish to request the assistance of
whatever international technical and financial agencies it deems
appropriate.
39. We attach importance to the preparation by our educational systems
of social action plans for the prevention of acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS) involving all segments of society from the nuclear family
to the workplace and the individual.
40. Subject to commitments assumed previously, we shall support the
candidature of Portugal as a non-permanent member of the United Nations
Security Council for the period 1997-1998.
41. In the elections to be held in November 1995 in Jakarta, Indonesia
and subject to commitments assumed previously we shall support the
candidature of Madrid to serve as host of the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity.
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