IN THE NAME OF THEIR PEOPLES, THE STATES REPRESENTED AT THE
NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF AMERICAN STATES,
Convinced that the historic mission of America is to offer to man a land of liberty and a favorable environment for the development of his personality and the realization of his just aspirations;
Conscious that that mission has already inspired numerous agreements, whose essential value lies in the desire of the American peoples to live together in peace and, through their mutual understanding and respect for the sovereignty of each one, to provide for the betterment of all, in independence, in equality and under law;
Convinced that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for the stability, peace and development of the region;
Confident that the true significance of American solidarity and good neighborliness can only mean the consolidation on this continent, within the framework of democratic institutions, of a system of individual liberty and social justice based on respect for the essential rights of man;
Persuaded that their welfare and their contribution to the progress and the civilization of the world will increasingly require intensive continental cooperation;
Resolved to persevere in the noble undertaking that humanity has conferred upon the United Nations, whose principles and purposes they solemnly reaffirm;
Convinced that juridical organization is a necessary condition for security and peace founded on moral order and on justice; and
In accordance with Resolution IX of the Inter-American Conference on Problems of War and Peace, held in Mexico City,
HAVE AGREED upon the following