Annual Report 2019
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INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE BOARD ANNUAL REPORT 2019 “Promoting and Strengthening Confidence and Hemispheric Security” SUMMARY – 2019 ANNUAL REPORT The Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) was founded on March 30, 1942. In 2006, the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) established the IADB as an “entity” of the Organization and approved its Statutes. The IADB has 28 Member States, 8 observer states and its structure is made up of the Council of Delegates, the Secretariat and the Inter-American Defense College (IADC). The Board’s purpose is to provide technical, consultative and educational advisory services to the OAS and its Member States on issues related to military and defense matters in the hemisphere. The Chairman of the Council of Delegates and the Director General of the IADB Secretariat, recognizing the relevance of the technical, consultative and educational advice provided to the OAS in military and defense issues, promoted, during 2019, the strengthening of relations with the Ministries of Defense of the Member States and the active participation of the Board’s staff in different events (workshops, seminars, conferences, meetings, etc.) at the hemispheric, regional and sub regional levels. These actions were oriented towards the fulfillment of the mandates assigned to the Board by the Organization of American States and the strategic objectives of the Board, contributing to the strengthening of collaboration, cooperation and security in the hemisphere in defense and military matters. The Inter-American Defense College (IADC) continues to provide a Master’s Degree program, accredited and without registration for military, police and civil servants appointed by the OAS Member States. The College highlights that in 2019, the Washington Higher Education License Commission, D.C. granted the IADC a permanent license to operate as a higher education institution. Therefore, the IADB was strengthened as a technical advisor, facilitator and connecting entity for the exchange of experiences and good practices, also materializing various activities on humanitarian demining issues through the Comprehensive Action against Antipersonnel Mines in Colombia, updating the Annual Inventory of Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, integrating and disseminating lessons learned in the field of disasters, conducting the first hemispheric conference on cyber defense to strengthen cooperation on this issue in the Americas, promoting the relationship with high centers military studies and also addressing those issues related to gender, human rights and international humanitarian law, amongst other activities. Regarding the operation and internal management of the Board, during 2019, actions were implemented to enhance its administrative functioning, through the priority, rational and transparent exercise of the resources allocated by the OAS and those obtained through voluntary contributions. In this context, the activities of the IADB that stand out in 2019 are the following: i Participation in the Ad-Hoc working groups in the framework of the XIII Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CMDA), related to the issues of humanitarian assistance in cases of disaster and the evolution of the armed forces in matters of defense and security. Likewise, technical advice was provided and the corresponding coordination was supported within the framework of the Program of Integral Action against Antipersonnel Mines (AICMA), through the Groups of Inter-American Monitors and the Inter-American Technical Advisers in Colombia. In addition, the signing of other bilateral agreements on the subject and the management for the allocation of places and designation of military personnel of the different Member Countries for their assistance to the course of demining and removal of explosive devices in Spain in 2020. On the other hand, the VIII Forum on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures (CSBM) was coordinated and executed in liaison with the Secretariat for Multidimensional Security, as well as the planning and dissemination of the training workshop for the operators of the CSBM system that will be carried out in 2020. The conference "Search and rescue in cases of natural disasters" was held, a year-end exercise in relation to natural disaster care and a conference on the response capacity of Member States to natural disasters; The Board also participated in regional conferences on the subject for the exchange of good practices and lessons learned. In addition, the seminars "Hemispheric Perspective for the Integration of Gender in Defense and Security" and "Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law" were organized in coordination with the Inter-American Defense College. The first Cyber Defense Conference of the Western Hemisphere was held in Bogotá, Colombia, as an issue that requires multilateral perspectives for its understanding and collaboration to address cyber threats. Finally, different activities were attended in the framework of the Conference of the American Armies (CAA), Inter-American Naval Conferences (IANC), Conference of American Air Chiefs (CONJEFAMER) and Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC). ii TABLE OF CONTENT I. REFERENCE OF ORIGIN, LEGAL BASIS, STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE 1 II. OAS MANDATES 2 III. ACTIVITIES EXECUTED IN 2019 2 A. IN TERMS OF TECHNICAL ADVICE FOR HUMANITARIAN DEMINING. 3 B. IN TERMS AND FOLLOW-UP OF THE CONFIDENCE- AND SECURITY- BUILDING MEASURES (CSBM). 7 C. IN TERMS OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO NATURAL DISASTERS. 9 D. IN TERMS OF THE INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION ON TRANSPARENCY IN CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS ACQUISITIONS (CITAAC). 10 E. IN TERMS OF ATTENTION TO EMERGING THREATS, CYBER DEFENSE AND OTHER ISSUES. 11 F. IN TERMS OF CONNECTING WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND/OR INTERNATIONAL MECHANISMS. 14 G. IN TERMS OF EDUCATION. 21 H. IN TERMS OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCES. 25 IV. SUMMARY OF RELATIONS AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES 29 A. VISITS TO THE “CASA DEL SOLDADO”. 29 B. PARTICIPATION IN WORK MEETINGS. 30 C. PARTICIPATION IN CONFERENCES, EXERCISES AND SEMINARS. 31 V. MEETINGS CELEBRATED BY THE COUNCIL OF DELEGATES 33 VI. DRAFT RESOLUTIONS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 33 ANNEX "A" DETAILS OF THE CLASS 58 ACADEMIC PROGRAM 37 ANNEX “B” DETAILS ON MAINTENANCE NEEDS FOR THE “CASA DEL SOLDADO” 46 ANNEX “C” PHOTO REPORT OF ASSISTANCE TO CONFERENCES, EXERCISES, SEMINARS AND OTHER EVENTS 53 iii 2019 ANNUAL REPORT INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE BOARD I. REFERENCE OF ORIGIN, LEGAL BASIS, STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE A. REFERENCE OF ORIGIN The Inter-American Defense Board founded on March 30, 1942, is considered the oldest regional defense organization in the world. B. LEGAL BASE In 2006, through resolution AG/RES. 1 (XXXII-E/06), the General Assembly of the Organization of American States resolved to establish the IADB as an “entity” of the Organization based on Article 53 of the OAS Charter and approve its Statutes where it grants technical autonomy for the fulfillment of its purpose and functions, taking into account the mandates of the General Assembly, the Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Council of the OAS, in their respective areas of competence. C. STRUCTURE In 2019, the IADB grouped 28 Member States and had 8 observer states. Its structure is composed of the Council of Delegates, the Secretariat and the Inter- American Defense College, bringing together civil and military representatives of the various States of the American continent, democratically elected with the corresponding independence. The staff cash working in the Board is as follows: Area Generals Officers NCOs Civilians Total Chairmanship 2 6 1 1 10 Secretariat 2 32 16 3 53 Inter-American Defense College 4 78 11 17 110 Total 8 116 28 21 173 D. PURPOSE Provide technical, consultative and educational advisory services to the OAS and its Member States, on issues related to military and defense matters in the hemisphere, in contribution to compliance with the OAS Charter, taking into account the needs of smaller states, whose degree of vulnerability is greater when facing traditional and new threats, concerns and other challenges. - 1 - II. OAS MANDATES The OAS General Assembly has issued direct mandates to the IADB, in relation to its statutory functions, which are contained in the following resolutions: A. RESOLUTIONS AG/RES. 2300 (XXXVII-O/07), 2400 (XXXVIII-O/08), 2482 (XXXIX-O/09), 2573 (XL-O/10), 2631 (XLI-O/11), SECTION: Support for the Activities of the Inter-American Defense Board. B. RESOLUTIONS AG/RES. 2735 (XLII-O/12), 2809 (XLIII-O/13), 2866 (XLIV-O/14), SECTION: Advancing hemispheric security: A multidimensional approach. C. RESOLUTION AG/RES. 2880 (XLVI-O/16), SECTIONS: Declaration on Climate Change, Food Security and Security of the Americas Paragraph 2; Advancing hemispheric security: A multidimensional approach, Paragraphs: 2, 17, 18, 25, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 48, 51, 58, 59, 60. D. RESOLUTION AG/RES. 2907 (XLVII-O/17), Advancing hemispheric security: A multidimensional approach, Paragraphs: 5, 116, 117, 118c and 119. E. RESOLUTION AG/RES. 2925 (XLVIII-O/18) Advancing hemispheric security: A multidimensional approach, Paragraphs: 12, 52, 54, 76, 86, 115, 152, 153, and 154. F. RESOLUTION AG/RES. 2945 (XLIX-O/19) Advancing hemispheric security: A multidimensional approach, paragraphs 17, 18, 20, 21, 72, 77, 81, 94, 96 and 107 to 124. III. ACTIVITIES EXECUTED IN 2019 Based on the Statutes of the Inter-American Defense Board and resolutions mentioned above,