The General Assembly,
Recalling the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and its own resolutions, particularly resolution 47/118 of 18 December 1992, in which it recognized that there remained in Central America major obstacles to the full exercise of peace, freedom, democracy and development and the need for a global frame of reference that would enable the international community to channel support to the efforts of the Central American Governments, as well as the desirability of increasing support by providing resources for the consolidation of the objectives set, in order to prevent the region's material limitations from diminishing or reversing the progress made,
Recognizing the importance and validity of the commitments assumed by the Central American Presidents in the "Procedures for the establishment of a firm and lasting peace in Central America", adopted at the Esquipulas II summit meeting on 7 August 1987, and the agreements adopted at their subsequent summit meetings, especially the commitments undertaken at the fourteenth summit meeting, held at Guatemala City from 27 to 29 October 1993, which established a framework of priorities for the consolidation of peace and human development in Central America based on democratic participation and the identification of fundamentally new courses of action which call for a new strategy reflecting the concept of integrated and sustained human development,
Aware of the importance of supporting the efforts of the Central American peoples and Governments for the consolidation of a firm and lasting peace in Central America, and bearing in mind that the Central American Integration System constitutes the institutional framework for subregional integration through which integrated development can be promoted in an effective, orderly and coherent manner,
Convinced of the hopes that inspire the peoples of Central America to achieve peace, reconciliation, development and social justice, as well as the commitment to settle their differences by means of dialogue, negotiation and respect for the legitimate interests of all States, in accordance with their own decision and their own historical experience while fully respecting the principles of self-determination and non-intervention,
Recognizing the importance of the peace-keeping operations that have been carried out in Central America pursuant to the decisions of the Security Council and with the support of the Secretary-General,
Recognizing also the need to preserve and enhance the results obtained by means of new and innovative initiatives,
Reaffirming the belief that there can be no peace in Central America without development or democracy, which are essential for transforming the region and realizing the hope of the Central American peoples and Governments that Central America may become a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development,
Emphasizing the important role of international cooperation in helping to implement the decisions adopted at the summit meetings of Central American Presidents in order to consolidate peace with human development and social justice,
Stressing the importance of honouring the commitments to accelerate the establishment of a new model of regional security in Central America as established in the Tegucigalpa Protocol of 13 December 1991, which established the Central American Integration System, and bearing in mind the institutional changes that have taken place in the armed forces in Central America,
Noting with concern the recent acts of violence, with possible political motives, in El Salvador which may, if measures to halt them are not taken, jeopardize the peace process initiated under the Peace Agreement signed at Mexico City by the Government of El Salvador and the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional on 16 January 1992,
Noting with interest the steps taken by both the Government of El Salvador and the Frente Farabundo Marti with the Secretary-General and officials of countries that support the peace process, as well as the initial measures adopted by the Government of El Salvador and the decision of the Secretary-General to have the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador collaborate with the competent authorities in conducting immediately a full, impartial and reliable investigation of illegal armed groups, which would result in the determination of responsibility for the acts of violence that could reverse and obstruct the implementation of the Peace Agreement,
Convinced of the importance of achieving a negotiated political solution to the situation in Guatemala and of resuming the talks between the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca and the Government of Guatemala in order to end the internal armed confrontation in the shortest possible time and to bring about national reconciliation and full respect for human rights, in keeping with the wishes of the Guatemalan people,
Noting with satisfaction that the obstacles that led to the recent institutional crisis between the legislative and the executive branches in Guatemala have been overcome,
Bearing in mind the efforts made by the Government of Nicaragua to promote a broad national dialogue as the best way to consolidate peace, national reconciliation, democracy and development in that country,
Welcoming the adoption of resolution 48/8 of 22 October 1993, entitled "International assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Nicaragua: aftermath of the war and natural disasters", in which it recognized the exceptional circumstances prevailing in Nicaragua,
Recognizing that the consolidation of peace in Nicaragua is a key factor in the Central American peace process, as well as the urgent need for the international community and the United Nations system to continue providing Nicaragua with the support it needs to continue promoting its economic and social rehabilitation and reconstruction in order to strengthen democracy and overcome the aftermath of war and recent natural disasters,
Recognizing also the valuable and effective contribution of the United Nations and of various governmental and non-governmental mechanisms to the process of democratization, pacification and development in Central America, and the importance for the gradual transformation of Central America into a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development of both the political dialogue and the economic cooperation set in motion by the ministerial conference between the European Community and the Central American countries and the joint initiative of the industrialized countries (Group of Twenty- four) and the group of cooperating countries (Group of Three) through the Partnership for Democracy and Development in Central America,
Bearing in mind that the process established by the International Conference on Central American Refugees will be completed in May 1994 and that the United Nations Development Programme has assumed the role of lead agency in completing unfinished programmes, and bearing in mind as well the eventual depletion of the Special Plan of Economic Cooperation for Central America, through which both the United Nations system and the international community, and especially the cooperating countries, have supported the Central American peace process,
Noting with concern that events have occurred in Central America that may hinder the consolidation of a firm and lasting peace,
Aware that Central America is facing a difficult transition period requiring every effort of the Governments and the various sectors of the Central American countries, as well as support from the international community, in overcoming the underlying structural causes that gave rise to the crisis in the region,
Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General of 11 November 1993 on the situation in Central America,
Bearing in mind the initiative of the Central American Presidents to convene an international conference on peace and development in Central America, contained in the Guatemala Declaration adopted at their fourteenth summit meeting on 29 October 1993,
1. Commends the efforts of the Central American peoples and Governments to consolidate peace by implementing the agreements adopted at summit meetings since 1987, urges them to continue with their efforts to consolidate a firm and lasting peace in Central America, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to afford the fullest possible support for the initiatives and efforts of the Central American Governments;
2. Supports the decision of the Central American Presidents to declare Central America a region of peace, freedom, democracy and development, as set out in the Tegucigalpa Protocol, and encourages the initiatives of the Central American countries to consolidate Governments which base their development on democracy, peace, cooperation and full respect for human rights;
3. Takes note of the Guatemala Declaration adopted on 29 October 1993 by the Central American Presidents at their fourteenth summit meeting, and shares the view that an opportunity exists in Central America to translate into reality the relation of interdependence between peace and development, which would constitute an historic achievement and a frame of reference useful in the settlement of disputes and the consolidation of peace and democracy through integrated and sustained development;
4. Welcomes with satisfaction the efforts of the Central American countries to promote economic growth within a context of human development, as well as the progress achieved in strengthening democracy in the region, as amply demonstrated by the elections to be held shortly in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama;
5. Emphasizes the functioning of the Central American Integration System since 1 February 1993 and the registry of the Tegucigalpa Protocol with the United Nations Secretariat, expresses its full support for the efforts made by the Central Americans to stimulate and broaden the integration process in the context of the Central American Integration System, and calls on Member States and international organizations to provide effective cooperation to the Central America so that it may promote and strengthen sustained subregional integration and achieve its fundamental goal;
6. Welcomes with interest the proposals to establish a new model of regional security based on a reasonable balance of forces, the pre-eminence of civilian authority, the eradication of extreme poverty, the promotion of sustained development, protection of the environment and the elimination of violence, corruption, terrorism and trafficking in drugs and weapons;
7. Calls upon the international community and the United Nations system to expand their technical and financial support for the professionalization of the police forces of the Central American countries in order to safeguard democratic institutions;
8. Reiterates its appreciation for the effective and timely participation of the Secretary-General and his representatives, and encourages them to continue to take all necessary steps to contribute to the successful implementation of all the commitments subscribed to by the parties to the Peace Agreement in El Salvador, including efforts to mobilize the necessary resources for the reconstruction and development of the country, which are indispensable to the consolidation of peace and democracy there;
9. Reiterates its appreciation also to the Governments of Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela, which make up the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General, as well as to the Government of the United States of America and other interested Governments, for their constant support and contribution to the efforts to implement the Peace Agreement, and urges them to continue to lend their support until the full implementation of the agreements, which reflect the will and aspirations of the Salvadorian people, is brought about;
10. Notes with concern the acts of violence that have occurred in recent months in El Salvador, which could indicate the resurgence of illegal armed groups, as well as the delay in the implementation of specific provisions of the Peace Agreement, and in this regard highlights the importance of complying with the agreement between the Government of El Salvador and the Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional concerning the need to accelerate the implementation of the provisions of the Peace Agreement, urging all political forces to cooperate to this end;
11. Calls upon the Government of El Salvador and all other institutions involved in the electoral process to adopt the necessary measures to ensure that the elections to be held in March 1994 be free, representative and irreproachable, as they constitute an essential element in the peace process;
12. Reiterates the importance of resuming, in the shortest possible time, the negotiations between the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca, bearing in mind the progress and agreements achieved up to May 1993, expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General and his representative for their participation in the peace process in Guatemala, and requests him to continue supporting that process;
13. Takes note in this context of the Peace Plan of the President of Guatemala;
14. Expresses its appreciation to the international community and encourages it to continue providing the necessary assistance for the people of Guatemala to achieve, in the shortest possible time, its aspirations of peace, national reconciliation, democracy and development;
15. Calls upon all political groups in Nicaragua to pursue, by means of the national dialogue promoted by the Government, their efforts to conclude agreements for the consolidation of the democratic process, reconstruction and national reconciliation;
16. Supports the efforts that the Government of Nicaragua is making to consolidate peace, and endorses the provision concerning exceptional circumstances so that the international community and funding agencies may provide their support for rehabilitation, economic and social reconstruction and the strengthening of reconciliation and democracy in that country;
17. Welcomes with interest the initiative by the Government of Nicaragua concerning the establishment of an active group of friendly countries to play a particularly important role in supporting the reactivation of the economic and social development of the country, which will facilitate the strengthening of its institutional and democratic structures, and requests the Secretary-General to give his full support to that initiative;
18. Stresses the importance of the political dialogue and economic cooperation between the European Community and its member States and the Central American countries within the ministerial conference in support of the efforts of the Central American countries in their quest for peace, consolidation of democracy and sustained development;
19. Stresses also the importance of the joint initiative of the industrialized countries (Group of Twenty-four) and the group of cooperating countries (Group of Three), through the Partnership for Democracy and Development in Central America;
20. Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Central American countries with all possible assistance for the consolidation of peace in the region;
21. Requests the agencies of the United Nations system, especially the United Nations Development Programme, and the international institutions to consider providing the necessary resources to establish new and up-to-date regional programmes through arrangements to be defined jointly by the Central American countries and the cooperation community as part of the new development strategy, given the need to anticipate the eventual depletion of resources from the Special Plan of Economic Cooperation for Central America and to prevent any reversal of the achievements in Central America thus far and consolidate peace in the region through comprehensive and sustained development;
22. Recognizes the importance of the programmes undertaken in the context of the Special Plan of Economic Cooperation for Central America to strengthen democratic institutions and modernize State infrastructure, telecommunications, agricultural development, environmental protection and human development;
23. Expresses its appreciation to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for carrying out her mandate under the International Conference on Central American Refugees, and supports the United Nations Development Programme as it completes the unfinished programmes within a comprehensive and sustained concept of development with a human face;
24. Notes with interest the proposal to convene an international conference for peace and development in Central America, the primary objectives of which would be to assess the status of the peace process, cooperation and technical assistance needs and the financing required for the region to become one of peace, freedom, democracy and development, and in this context expresses its satisfaction at the holding of an international technical meeting on Central America at United Nations Headquarters on 16 November 1993, with the participation of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Central America and representatives of cooperating countries and international institutions;
25. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its forty-ninth session the item entitled "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";
26. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session on the implementation of the present resolution.
85th plenary meeting
20 December 1993
