On Tuesday August 20, 2013 the high level meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held in Buenos Aires and the event culminated with the adoption of an essential document to reaffirm the position of the States against nuclear disarmament.

In the CELAC Declaration on Nuclear Disarmament most countries agreed that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons constitutes a crime against humanity and a violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and of the Charter of the United Nations. In turn, the leaders who were present there agreed in the existence of the unequivocal and legally binding assurance by nuclear weapon States against the use or threat to use such weapons.

Also, there was unanimous agreement that the Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ) strengthen international peace and security and contribute greatly to achieve nuclear disarmament . In this order the officials reaffirmed that the establishment of a NWFZ in the Latin American and Caribbean region has contributed to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, as well as to regional and global peace and security.

Moreover, the vast majority expressed a concern about the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and all agreed on the need to move towards an instrument banning such weapons.

Finally, There was unanimous agreement to continue to coordinate positions and to contribute to the implementation of practical actions to follow up on the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly. Besides, all those present welcomed the Oslo Conference on the Humanitarian  Impact  of Nuclear Weapons, held in March 2013, and, in this regard, called  all States to participate  in the Second International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons to be held in Mexico, on February 13-14, 2014.

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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.

The President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, closed the meeting of these Sessions stressing that «the security in the world is due not only to the nuclear nonproliferation but also because we get to set rules and patterns that can be applied evenly» also she emphasized that the weapons have to be the ideas, and in that sense, he added that «When there are ideas that reflect what humanity wants and needs, these are more important than military triumphs”

Moreover, in the framework of the General Conference, Argentina signed the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Agency. Argentina, as host country, chaired the conference and Costa Rica and Cuba were designated as Vice presidents.

LINK Declaration of Buenos Aires