During the 21 and 22 August, 2013, were carried out the XXIII Regular Session of the General Conference of the Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The main organ of OPANAL, created under the Treaty of Tlatelolco, approved its Strategic Agenda with guiding principles: to achieve full guarantees in favour of the states of the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in Latin America and the Caribbean by the nuclear-weapon States; to contribute effectively to the achievement of general and complete nuclear disarmament, promoting actions at the multilateral level for negotiation and adoption of a legally binding universal instrument banning nuclear weapons and, to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation education, as well as the dissemination of the work of the Agency.

Members of the Human Security Network in Latin America and the Caribbean (SEHLAC): María Pía Devoto y Hector Guerra have participated in the meeting.

Hector Guerra on behalf of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that any use of nuclear weapons would result in a humanitarian catastrophe and it is important to recognize and reaffirm what was discussed at the Oslo Conference in relation to the fact that it is not possible to generate a humanitarian response such a catastrophe.

Also, Hector Guerra said the current disarmament machinery is stalled and has not achieved the necessary progress and stated that the existence of a treaty banning such weapons is an urgent issue. Hector made a call to States to consider Mexico the first step towards the complete ban.