AG/RES. 1478 (XXVII-O/97)

OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CP/doc.2882/97) and the presentation thereof by the Chair of the Commission, as well as the observations and recommendations of the Permanent Council on the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) (AG/doc.3492/97); and

CONSIDERING:

That the member states of the Organization of American States have proclaimed in the Charter, as one of their principles, respect for the fundamental rights of the individual, without distinction as to race, nationality, creed, or sex;

That the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, established at the Fifth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held in Santiago in 1959, has as its principal function, pursuant to the Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights, that of promoting the observance and protection of human rights;

That numerous member states have expressed the view that, when the IACHR is preparing a report on the human rights situation in a specific state, that state should be given the opportunity within a reasonable time to review the report so that it may present its observations; and

That the member states have reaffirmed the inextricable link between human rights, democracy, and development,

RESOLVES:

1. To take note of and express appreciation for the Annual Report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

2. To urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to continue to promote the observance and protection of the human rights established in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the American Convention on Human Rights; to recognize the Commission's efforts to that end in the Hemisphere; and to urge the member states to continue to assist and support the Commission and to provide it with the resources it needs in order to fulfill its functions, within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

3. To welcome the observations and recommendations presented by the Permanent Council and to transmit them to the Commission along with those contained in this resolution.

4. To express its satisfaction with the progress made in the effective observance of human rights in the region, in particular the measures being adopted by the member states to strengthen the promotion, observance, and defense of human rights in their respective countries; and to appeal to the member states to overcome the difficulties that still hinder the full exercise of human rights.

5. To recommend to member states that have not yet done so that they sign, ratify, or accede to, as appropriate, in accordance with their constitutional and statutory requirements, the American Convention on Human Rights (Pact of San José, Costa Rica); the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, "Protocol of San Salvador"; and the other inter-American instruments for the promotion and protection of human rights.

6. To urge the member states to guarantee and exercise special vigilance with regard to the human rights of indigenous populations, minors at risk, refugees, persons with disabilities, migrant workers and their families, detainees and prisoners, undervalued or minority groups, and victims of racial discrimination; to urge the member states to establish conditions that foster harmony and tolerance among them and all sectors of society; and to call upon the IACHR to continue paying special attention to these matters.

7. To request the IACHR to continue to report on measures taken in response to the observations and recommendations of the Permanent Council that were transmitted by the General Assembly.

8. To call the attention of the IACHR to the issue of the prior review by the concerned state of reports on the human rights situation in a specific state.

9. To call upon the IACHR to continue to place special importance on dialogue with the member states regarding the progress achieved and the difficulties encountered in terms of effective promotion and protection of human rights in the Hemisphere.

10. To condemn emphatically all forms of racism, racial or religious discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance; and to urge the member states to adopt effective measures to promote tolerance and eliminate all racist and discriminatory conduct.

11. To request the IACHR to continue its work on the project to promote and protect the right of women in the Hemisphere to be free from discrimination against women, in conjunction with the member states and the competent bodies of the inter-American system.

12. To thank the Commission for beginning to evaluate the situation of migrant workers and their families in the Hemisphere, to call upon the Commission to complete its evaluation as soon as possible, and to invite the member states to continue to assist the Commission when it so requests.

13. To note with satisfaction the growing use of the friendly settlement mechanism, and to call upon the member states and the IACHR to continue to use this mechanism, within a framework of cooperation, in cases where it can produce a solution.

14. To reiterate the importance of retaining the impartial and independent character of the membership of the IACHR as a key factor in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Hemisphere.