RESOLUTION 774 (1982)[1]

on Europe and Latin America - the challenge of human rights

The Assembly,

1. Having examined the reports by the Political Affairs Committee and the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography on the Colloquy "Europe and Latin America : the challenge of human rights", held in Madrid from 16 to 18 October 1981 (Docs. 4879 and 4876) ;

2. Considering that this is the first time that Europe's role in promoting human rights in Latin America has been discussed in such a large forum ;

3. Referring to its Resolution 722 (1980) of the situation of human rights in Latin America ;

4. Noting that the situation of human rights in certain Latin-American countries has steadily deteriorated since Resolution 722 (1980) was adopted ;

5. Protesting, in particular, against the recourse by governments to emergency legislation as a means of covering up their repressive methods and against the practices of forcible disappearance and torture ;

6. Gravely concerned at the tragic situation in Central America which is being torn apart by civil wars fostered and exacerbated by foreign interference, whilst emphasising that in Central America the peoples are striving for justice and equality ;

7. Bearing in mind the need to proceed, as several governments in Europe and America have already done, to a reassessment of the political situation in Latin America transcending the traditional East-West dichotomy, and the need to promote the development of existing democratic forces in the area, which do not want to come under the Cuban sphere of influence but which condemn the North American forms of intervention, as already experienced on frequent occasions ;

8. Believing that a positive trend towards respect for human rights and democratic principles cannot be brought about in a large number of Latin-American countries, without considerable efforts, supported by the international community, to overcome economic underdevelopment and eliminate social injustices ;

9. Expressing the wish to see the American Convention on Human Rights ratified by a greater number of states, and welcoming, at the same time, the acceptance by four states (Costa Rica, Honduras, Venezuela and Peru) of the optional clause recognising the jurisdiction of the American Court of Human Rights ;

10. Hoping that the contacts already existing between the institutions of the American and European Conventions on Human Rights and their respective secretariats may be intensified and that co-operation may be established, in particular in the field of education, promotion and understanding of human rights and fundamental freedoms ;

11. Emphasising the constructive and encouraging part played by the Catholic Church in the protection of human rights in several Latin-American countries ;

12. Deploring the brutal repression of trade-union rights and freedoms in a large number of Latin-American countries ;

13. Convinced of the need for Council of Europe member states to continue to provide an asylum for Latin-American democrats driven into exile,

14. Invites the governments of the Council of Europe member states :

a. to stop all military aid and all visits by military delegations to repressive regimes and to concentrate financial and economic assistance on actions which are strictly to the benefit of the poorest sectors of the population and which do not give any kind of support to the respective governments ;

b. to take steps within the International Labour Organisation to secure the suspension of the so-called trade-union participation by repressive regimes in the work of that organisation, pending the release of detained trade-union leaders and the restoration of the free exercise of trade-union rights ;

c. to promote a solution of the crisis in El Salvador by means of negotiations between the parties concerned, the government and the opposition united in the "Revolutionary Democratic Front" (FDR), with a view to ending the civil war and establishing a pluralist democracy ;

d. to invite the United States Government, when drawing up the guidelines of its policy in Latin America, to take account of the need for a reassessment of the political situation which transcends the traditional East-West criteria, with a view to promoting the development of the democratic forces existing in the area ;

e. to encourage the governments of the Central American states and of the United States to begin a scaling down of military forces in the area and to draw up, to that end, non-aggression pacts ;

f. to support the national committees for the protection of human rights and other humanitarian organisations working in Latin America and to provide humanitarian aid for the victims of the conflicts ;

g. to give special attention to the conditions in which refugees live and pursue their occupational and political activities, and to harmonise their policies and their legislation in the matter ;

h. to denounce and condemn all foreign intervention in the internal conflicts of Latin-American countries, and to instruct their representatives at the United Nations to take action to secure such non-intervention ;

i. to work out a common policy for cooperation with the democratic states of Latin America, based on the principles stated in this resolution and with special attention to economic assistance to the countries which need this to combat the economic causes of tension and injustice. Special assistance should be given to the few democratic countries of Latin America to overcome their present serious economic imbalance ;

j. to adopt in the international institutions concerned, and particularly in the United Nations Organisation and OECD, an attitude conforming to the principles embodied in the present resolution.

[1]. Assembly debate on 28 and 29 April 1982 (5th and 6th Sittings) (see Docs. 4879 and 4876, reports of the Political Affairs Committee and of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography).

Text adopted by the Assembly on 29 April 1982 (6th Sitting).