Alertamerica.org: OAS Hemispheric Security Observatory :: Report on Security in the Americas
About the secretariat for multidimensional security
The Secretariat for Multidimensional Security (SMS) promotes cooperation between OAS Member States, as well as with Inter-American and international organizations, as well as between entities such as the United Nations and its subsidiaries, in order to analyze, prevent, confront and respond to security threats. In 2005, as a direct response to the 2003 Declaration on Security in the Americas, adopted in Mexico City, Secretary General José Miguel Insulza created the Secretariat. This move established the multidimensional concept of security, implying that its main purpose is the safeguard of human beings. The Secretariat is composed of three main directorates – the Department of Public Security (DPS); the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD); and the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE). Accordingly, the Secretariat focuses on the following six distinct aspects: 1. Laws; 2. Compliance with laws; 3. The prevention of delinquent activities and drug consumption; 4. victims assistance; 5. Rehabilitation of criminal offenders; 6. The promotion of peace and security in the Hemisphere. The Secretariat of Multidimensional Security offers solutions founded upon the model of “Smart Security”. This model requires the integration, in every one of its actions, of objective identification based on reliable evidence pertaining to the issues being addressed; the development of proposals based on the national or regional necessities and capacities; and a multidimensional focus which ensures a systematic response to problems.
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