Monitoring of the human rights situation

The monitoring of human rights in the region stems from Article 106 of the OAS Charter, according to which the principal function of the Commission is "to promote the observance and protection of human rights". This mandate is reflected in Article 41, subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d), of the American Convention on Human Rights, which, in turn, is reflected in Article 18, subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d), of the Statute of the IACHR.

The exercise of this authority is described in the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, especially in Articles 53 to 57 (On-site observations), Chapter VI (country hearings), and Articles 59 and 60 (Annual Report and Report on Human Rights in a State):

In this sense, in fulfilling its function of monitoring the human rights situation, the IACHR makes use of a set of mechanisms provided for in the various regional human rights documents, in particular the American Convention on Human Rights, the Commission's Statute and its Rules of Procedure.