7 June 2011: The 41st regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on sustainable development, including welcoming the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and reiterating the full commitment of all countries in the region to its success.

The Assembly met from 5-7 June 2011, in San Salvador, El Salvador.

The resolution also endorses the Declaration of Santo Domingo for the Sustainable Development of the Americas, which was adopted at the Second Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development within the Framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), held on 17-19 November 2010, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In the Declaration, OAS members decide to extend the Inter-American Program for Sustainable Development (PIDS) for the period 2010-2014 and adopt a number of “action initiatives” to promote sustainable development in the hemisphere.

The resolution further urges the Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) to report on progress in revising and updating PIDS, and instructs the OAS General Secretariat to: support member States in the exchange of information, experiences and best practices to strengthen the sustainable development agenda; and work with authorities for sustainable development in implementing the measures and decisions adopted at the Second Inter-American Meeting, and to report on this process to the CIDI Permanent Executive Committee.

In addition to the resolution on sustainable development, the Assembly also adopted a declaration on citizen security in the Americas, as well as 82 resolutions on a broad range of issues, including drug abuse, terrorism, security, illegal weapons trade, human rights, women’s rights, poverty eradication and various activities within the CIDI. [OAS 41st General Assembly Website] [OAS 41st General Assembly Declarations and Resolutions] [Declaration of Santo Domingo]