7 June 2011: The 41st regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), held on 5-7 June 2011 in San Salvador, El Salvador, adopted a resolution on climate change in the countries of the hemisphere, among many other resolutions.

The Assembly adopted the Declaration of San Salvador on Citizen Security in the Americas and 82 Resolutions on a broad range of issues, including drug abuse, terrorism, security, illegal weapons trade, human rights, womens’ rights, poverty eradication and activities within the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI).

The resolution on climate change welcomes the outcomes of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in December 2010, in Cancun, Mexico, and resolves to: strengthen the resilience of the OAS member States to the adverse impacts of climate change, especially the most vulnerable States of the Hemisphere, and to support the development of climate change adaptation activities; support the efforts of the OAS member States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the promotion of capacity building and information exchange activities; and promote capacity building and information exchange related to climate change, including the development and strengthening of the meteorological capacities of the OAS member States.

It also urges OAS member States to agree on ambitious equitable, effective and efficient results of an inclusive and transparent negotiation process, building on the decisions adopted at UNFCCC COPs 13 and 16, to ensure the success of COP 17 and the seventh meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, to be held at the end of 2011 in Durban, South Africa. [OAS 41st General Assembly Website][GA41 Declarations and Resolutions]