The Hemispheric Security Commission, represented by its President, Ambassador Anthony Phillips-Spencer; the Inter-American Defense Board, represented by its Leadership; and the Inter-American Defense Foundation, represented by Mr. Óscar Gomez, participated as Observer Organizations in the XV Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas, held in Brasilia, from July 25 to 29.
During the Conference, several topics related to Defense and Security were discussed, among which the following stand out: Cyberdefense, migratory flows, integrated deterrence and natural disasters.
The IADB had the opportunity to present the Disaster Cooperation Mechanism (MECODE) to the Ministers of Defense and to report on the success of the MECODEX exercise, as well as to present the planning for the next MECODEX-2023 to be held next year . The IADB was also able to present its future perspectives with a view to better advising the OAS and the CMDA.
During the Conference, bilateral meetings were held with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic, which were of utmost importance to strengthen the ties of cooperation between the IADB and its States. members.
The following paragraphs of the Brasilia Declaration mention the Inter-American Defense Board:
"5. Its recognition that integrated deterrence provides a framework for maintaining peace and stability in the Western Hemisphere, prioritizing regional cooperation in all areas of defense and security, as well as reducing barriers to the exchange of information and capabilities, and such concept will be referred to the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB) for subsequent studies, as recommended by the Working Group.4”
“18. In accordance with the CMDA Regulations, request the OAS, on a permanent basis, for the participation of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), in accordance with the resolutions of its General Assembly, in the following activities:
to. Collect, share and store lessons learned on humanitarian assistance in the Hemisphere and disseminate them to the Member States of the OAS and the CMDA;
b. Maintain updated contact point databases for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) of each CMDA Member State; and
c. Organize, annually, a cabinet exercise of the Disaster Cooperation Mechanism of CMDA Countries (MECODE), in coordination with the Secretariat Pro Tempore of the CMDA.”
“19. Take note of the conclusions and recommendations of the three Ad hoc Working Groups, met during the 2021/2022 cycle of the Conference, and:
to. Support the continuation of the development of MECODE, under the coordination and execution of the IADB, as a way to enhance cooperation in response to countries and existing systems in the event of natural or human disasters in the Hemisphere; (…)”
"twenty. Its recognition of the completion of the cabinet exercise regarding MECODE, carried out by the IADB, in February of this year, which achieved the proposed objectives in terms of its initial validation, documenting the need for its continued development, with the support of the OAS .”
"twenty-one. Congratulations to the IADB on its 80th anniversary and for its important contributions to the advancement of world peace, defense and security in our Hemisphere.”
“22. They agree with the deliberations carried out by Working Group I on the Theme “Strengthening integrated deterrence: air, land, sea, space and cyberspace”.
to. Conclusions:
Yo. The importance and relevance of the topic was recognized;
ii. Due to its importance and complexity, the delegates concluded that the issue in question should be studied further; and
iii. The participating countries appreciate the willingness of the United States Speaker to carefully present the topic, and all those who contributed successfully to this Working Committee.
b. Recommendation: Unanimously, the members present suggest that the issue be presented to the OAS for a more detailed study of the proposal, through the JID, and that it be taken up again at the XVI CMDA.”
