The General Conference is the supreme body of OPANAL and, therefore, it is the body that makes the most important decisions for the Agency. During the XXVIII Session of the General Conference of OPANAL, the States Parties to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco) approved twenty-one resolutions, including the approval of the budget and the issue “Gender, non-proliferation and disarmament.
On November 3, 2023, in Guatemala City, the XXVIII Session of the General Conference of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) took place, with the participation of delegates from the Member States and the States Parties to Protocols I and II to the Treaty of Tlatelolco; as well as representatives of international organizations (International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA; International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC) and civil society organizations (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN; and Soka Gakkai).
During the XXVIII Session of the General Conference of OPANAL, the States Parties to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco) approved twenty-one resolutions, among whose topics the following stand out:
- The request of the States Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco that the militarily denuclearized nature of Latin America and the Caribbean be respected and that the States Parties to Protocols I and II to the Treaty of Tlatelolco review or delete the Interpretative Declarations that they have made regarding to said instruments;
- The budget and scale of contributions for the 202 fiscal year;4;
- The adoption of practical measures to improve the Agency's working methods to positively impact the substantive work of the Council and other OPANAL bodies;
- Strengthening and professionalization of the Secretariat
- Gender, non-proliferation and disarmament
- The election of three new Member States of the Council and five of the CCAAP for the period 2024-2027
- The creation of the Antonio Augusto Cançado Trindade Prize for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
Additionally, the General Conference adopted the “Appreciation” Resolution in which it thanked: “the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its generous support to the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America.” and the Caribbean – OPANAL –, to the Member States and the Secretariat, to host the XXVIII Session of the General Conference, providing the necessary technical requirements for its realization.”
The General Conference is the supreme body of OPANAL and, therefore, it is the body that makes the most important decisions for the Agency. It is made up of all the Contracting Parties to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the 33 States of Latin America and the Caribbean, and holds regular sessions every two years and may also hold special sessions whenever so provided by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, or when circumstances so require in the opinion of the Council.