Legal Pluralism in Multicultural Societies
Lima, December 2011

Commissioner President Dinah Shelton participated in the International meeting on “Legal Pluralism in Multicultural Societies” which took place in Lima, Perú between December 12 and 14, 2011. The meeting, which was organized by the Andean Commission of Jurists and sponsored by the Government of France, had the purpose of analyzing experiences of legal pluralism in the Andean Region and how international courts and States have defined standards to address the issue.

Regional Seminar on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Bali, 2011

The IACHR was represented by Commissioner President Dinah Shelton at a regional seminar on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Human Rights Declaration which took place in Bali, Indonesia. The participating experts contributed valuable experience from the Inter-American Commission, the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples Rights, and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The seminar’s recommendations highlighted, among others, the importance of the role of civil society in promoting and protecting human rights, and the contribution of independent regional human rights mechanisms towards improvement in international human rights standards.

"Use of Forensic Evidence in the fight against torture"
Copenhagen, December 2011

On December 1, and 2, 2011, the IACHR participated in Workshop for Lawyers on the "Use of Forensic Evidence in the fight against torture", in Copenhagen, Denmark, and sponsored by the organization International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT).

Regional consultation on the prevention of torture

On November 29 and 30 2011 the IACHR held at its headquarters a “Regional consultation for the Americas on enhancing cooperation between UN and regional mechanisms on the prevention of torture and protection of victims of torture, especially persons deprived of liberty”. Participating at the event were the President of the IACHR and the Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty, the President of the Committee Against Torture, the Vice-President of the Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, representatives of the IACHR and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, as well as representative of National Mechanisms for the Prevention of Torture (NMP) of the region, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations. During the meeting, the participants identified specific means and tools of cooperation among UN human rights mechanisms and the inter-American system in the combat against torture and ill treatment, taking into account areas of work such as the exchange of information, possible joint activities, and the follow-up of recommendations; they also discussed the role of the MPS and civil society organizations.

Challenges for the implementation of the recommendations of the Inter-American System of Human Rights

Commissioner Maria Silvia Guillén participated in the "Dialogue on the Report on Citizen Security and Human Rights: Challenges and Perspectives for the implementation of the recommendations", organized by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, and sponsored by the IACHR. The meeting took place in San Salvador on November 28, and 29, 2011, and involved the participation of the senior police authorities of the OAS Member States of Colombia and the Central American region, as well as civil society representatives.

Implementation of Sentences and Recommendations in the Inter-American System of Human Rights

The IACHR was represented at the International Seminar on "Implementation of Sentences and Recommendations in the Inter-American System of Human Rights", organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile. The seminar took place on November 9, 2011, at the headquarters of the said Ministry in Santiago, Chile, with the purpose of increasing State agents’ awareness of the binding nature of the decisions issued by the organs of the Inter-American system. Participants included representatives of the Ministries comprising the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Group; members and lawyers of the Human Rights Commissions of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies; staff of the judicial service, National Attorney General's Office and the Criminal Public Ombudsman's Office and of the National Institute for Human Rights.

Cooperation Agreement with the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico

On October 14, 2011, a ceremony took place marking the signing of cooperation agreement between the IACHR and the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico. Present at the signing were the President and Vice-President of the Inter-American Commission and on behalf of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Juan Silva Meza.

Incitement of Hate, Santiago de Chile

On October 12 and 13, 2011, the IACHR participated in a regional experts workshop on incitement of hate, which took place in Santiago, Chile. The IACHR ws invited by the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations.

OAS-African Union Forum

By invitation of the OAS General Secretariat, the IACHR participated on October 12 and 13, 2011, of the Forum of the OAS and the African Union on "challenges and opportunities in the promotion and defense of democracy and human rights in Africa and the Americas." The forum took place in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, and its main topics were the cooperation between the OAS and the AFU was the protection and promotion of human rights in both regions.

World Coalition against the Death Penalty

On October 10, 2011, at the invitation of the World Coalition against the Death Penalty, the IACHR participated in a discussion panel on the international jurisprudence in the area of the death penalty and the prohibition against cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This event took place in Geneva, Switzerland.

Outreach Seminars organized by the Judicial Power of Mexico

On September 24, 2011, the Inter-American Commission participated in a series of outreach seminars organized by the Judicial Power of Mexico in the states of León, Puebla and Sinaloa. In the seminars there was an analysis of constitutional reforms in matters of the amparo in the country, as well as the recent decision of the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice in the Radilla Pacheco case, and this court's recommendations of the outline of constitutional oversight. Commissioner Orozco Henríquez and lawyers from the IACHR's Executive Secretariat participated in simultaneous presentations on the Inter-American human rights system in general, and on the control of constitutionality, led by federal judges, and that was developing in each one of the above-mentioned states.

Pacific Protest, Geneve

On September 13, 2011, the IACHR participated in a panel on pacific protest by invitation of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights. It took place in Geneve, Switzerland.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

On August 22, 2011, a workshop for the staff of the Executive Secretariat on Alternative Dispute Resolution took place at the IACHR, with the aim of promoting a strengthening of the friendly settlement program. The workshop was led by Prof. Charles Caver of the George Washington University.

Dialogue on Friendly Settlements

On June 10, 2011, an initial informal dialogue on friendly settlement proceedings took place at the headquarters of the IACHR with experts in the Inter-American system, with a view to making progress to identify best practices allowing a strengthening of the initiative the IACHR is currently developing in this area.

Citizen Security, El Salvador

On June 5, 2011, the IACHR Chair, Dinah Shelton, and Commissioner Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro participated as panelists in a forum on citizen security and human rights in San Salvador, El Salvador, organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Women and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. The goal was to promote dialogue on the inter-relation between citizen security and human rights in the context of the General Assembly of the OAS. Around 100 people participated in the forum, including representatives of the Member States and of Observer Countries, of civil society, and Salvadoran public authorities.

Democracy for Peace, Security and Development

On May 12, 2011, the Executive Secretary participated in the Subregional Dialogue of the Members of the Central American and Mexican Integration System: "Democracy for Peace, Security and Development", in San Jose, Costa Rica. This event to place to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Humanitarian Law and Military Law

On April 26 and 27, 2011, the Executive Secretary participated in the V International Meeting of Humanitarian and Military Law in Lima, Peru, at the invitation of the International Association of Military Jurists (AIJM). At the same time, the Executive Secretary was invited by the Legal Defense Institute to present the report "The Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples to their Ancestral Lands and Natural Resources."

Hemispheric Forum with Civil Society

On April, 25, 2011, the IACHR's Executive Secretary participated in a Hemispheric Forum with civil society organized in Washington by the OAS's Department for External Relations, whose aim was to foster participation of civil society in discussions on the central issue of the 2011 OAS General Assembly referred to as citizen security.

Workshop at the IACHR

On April 20, 2011, a training workshop was held for the IACHR Executive Secretariat staff on forensic investigation, directed by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Center for the Rehabilitation of the Victims of Torture

Citizen Security, Geneve

By invitation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on April 18 and 19, 2011, the Executive Secretary participated in a meeting of experts on citizen security in Geneve, Switzerland. He presented the conclusions and recommendations of the IACHR report on the topic.

Leadership of Women for Citizen Democracy

On April 4 and 5, 2011, the Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and the Assistant Executive Secretary of the IACHR participated in the Hemispheric Forum "Women Leadership for Citizen Democracy," which was held in Washington, D.C., by the Inter-American Commission on Women.

ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights visit to the IACHR
November 16, 2010

A delegation from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights visited the IACHR on November 16, 2010 for a regional dialogue on human rights institutions and regional mechanisms. The program included presentations by the IACHR on its history, mandates and structure; a discussion on the petition and case system; presentations on the interrelation of the IACHR and the OAS political bodies, and a joint roundtable meeting with NGOs currently working with IACHR.

Seminar on the Inter-American System and the Caribbean

On October 8-9, 2010, the IACHR, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, and the Norman Manley Law School jointly sponsored a seminar on the countries of the Caribbean region and the inter-American human rights system. Commissioner Dinah Shelton, Rapporteur for several English-speaking Caribbean countries, was one of the panelists. Other participants included Hilaire Sobers and Angelita Baeyens, human rights specialists with the Commission. Among the issues addressed by various panels of experts were the nature of the inter-American system, the system’s subsidiary character, case law and its particular impact on the protection of rights in the Caribbean region, citizen security as a human right, and the future of the inter-American system within the Caribbean. The seminar took place at the headquarters of the Norman Manley Law School, in Jamaica.

See article published in The Writ, the official newsletter of the Norman Manley Law School.

Cooperation between the IACHR and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

A delegation of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights visited the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in June 2010 to hold a series of exchanges and meetings, as part of an ongoing dialogue on matters of common interest. The delegation was led by the Vice-Chair of the African Commission, Mumba Malila, and included Executive Secretary Mary Maboreke and other members of the Secretariat. The Second Vice-Chair of the IACHR, Commissioner Dinah Shelton, and a significant number of staff members from the Executive Secretariat participated in the activities, which included opportunities to compare best practices in the management of cases, compliance with recommendations, and outreach programs.

IACHR Commissioner Dinah Shelton, along with three members of the Executive Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Joint working session between staff members of the IACHR Executive Secretariat and the Executive Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Staff members of the IACHR Executive Secretariat and the Executive Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, in front of the OAS General Secretariat Building in Washington, D.C.

Over the years, the IACHR and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights have held promotional events and working meetings both in the Americas and in Africa. The specific results of these collaborations have included joint statements by Rapporteurs of both systems, such as the Joint Declaration of the Special Rapporteurs on Women’s Rights, signed in 2002 by the Rapporteurs of the UN, African, and inter-American systems, as well as the Joint Declaration on Media and Elections, issued in May 2009 by the Rapporteurs for Freedom of Expression of the UN and the African, European, and inter-American systems.

In 2009, the IACHR undertook a project to increase interregional cooperation between the two human rights systems and their respective institutions. This project is being implemented at the present time thanks to the financial support of the United States Department of State, and is the result of the Commission’s interest in strengthening its collaboration with the African Commission through an ongoing relationship and exchange of information. Past contacts have made it clear that both systems have a strong interest in better understanding the processes, work methodologies, and standards in the area of human rights that have developed in each region, but it is often difficult to access such information quickly and in a way that is useful. On October 1, 2009, the African Union Commission and the OAS signed a memorandum of understanding in which they agreed to cooperate on issues related to democracy and human rights.

As part of this project, members of the Inter-American and African Commissions, as well as representatives of their respective Secretariats, held various exchanges and meetings between June 14 and 25. During the first week, Commissioner Dinah Shelton and Commissioner Mumba Malila met to talk about matters of mutual interest for both institutions. African Commission Executive Secretary Mary Maboreke was present during these meetings. The second week consisted of working meetings at the technical level between staff members from both Secretariats, who focused on work methods and procedures.

• Ceremony in Santiago, Chile, to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the IACHR
  
  
  
  

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  The IACHR was created during the Fifth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held in Santiago, Chile, on August 12-18, 1959. To mark the 50th anniversary of its creation, the IACHR held a commemoration ceremony in the O’Higgins Hall of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the same room in which the act creating the Inter-American Commission was signed on August 18, 1959. The anniversary ceremony, which took place on September 3, 2009, included the signing of the Declaration of Santiago de Chile. Through this declaration, the IACHR reaffirmed the continued relevance of the human rights system’s ideals “of ensuring respect for human dignity and guaranteeing a life free of fear and misery,” and underscored that “it is essential to consolidate democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic and social development throughout the region.” The documentwas signed by the President of the Commission, Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero; the First Vice President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President, Felipe González; Commissioners Paolo Carozza, Paolo Sérgio Pinheiro, Florentín Meléndez, and Sir Clare K. Roberts; and the Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Santiago A. Canton. The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, participated in the commemoration ceremony, along with the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, and the Foreign Minister of Chile, Mariano Fernández.
• Commemoration in Buenos Aires of the 30th Anniversary of the Commission’s Visit to Argentina
  
  On September 9-11, 2009, the Commission carried out an official visit to Argentina, at the invitation of that country’s government, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Commission’s onsite visit in 1979. The numerous activities that took place included a series of panel discussions on the 1979 visit, with the participation of former Commissioners who had been part of the original delegation as well as individuals who talked about their experience of three decades past, when they had played critical roles in the context of the Commission’s visit. Political prisoners who had received visits from the Commission, including a political detainee who now works at the Inter-American Commission as a human rights specialist, shared their perspectives on the impact of the visit, as did relatives of victims of human rights violations that occurred during the military dictatorship. Argentina’s then-Foreign Minister, Jorge Taiana, who had been a political prisoner of the authoritarian regime when the IACHR conducted its 1979 visit and who years later served as Executive Secretary of the Commission, also participated in the event.
  
  During the commemorative visit, the IACHR delegation also held a working session on the inter-American system with State officials; met with civil society; and visited the Space for Memory, located in the former Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (ESMA). The IACHR had visited the ESMA in a very different context in 1979, when it was a center for the detention and torture of political dissidents under the dictatorship. On this occasion, by contrast, an event was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the visit; it was attended by Argentine President Cristina Kirchner and included the unveiling of plaques in honor of those who were victims of State terrorism and in honor of the IACHR.
• Poster Contest for the Commission’s 50^th Anniversary
  
  
  
  First Prize, Children and Teens Category    First Prize, Young
                                                                    Adults Category

  
  

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  All entries can be viewed through the online virtual exhibition.

  
  As part of the activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the IACHR, the Commission and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights launched a poster contest on April 16, 2009, under the slogan “IACHR Defending Human Rights.” The contest had two categories: one for the participation of children and teens, ages 12 to 17, and the other for young adults, ages 18 to 23. (See Competition Rules.)
  
  In response to the contest announcement, posters came in from the Pampa and from the Atacama Desert, from the coast of Guyana to the mountains of Guatemala, from Lima to Havana. Participants included young people deprived of their liberty in Brazil and children with special abilities from a school in the Bio Bio region of Chile. Roger, who at the age of 18 is in custody at the Casa Foundation in Brazil, drew a picture of a hand proffering a flower; 13-year-old Gerson, who participates in an integration program for children with special abilities in Chile, drew an enormous red heart embracing the Americas, surrounded by people of all colors. María, a girl from Arica, drew a child soldier carrying a weapon in one hand and a teddy bear in the other, and titled the piece “We have the right to be happy too.” Nicolás, 14, drew a person sitting in a wheelchair in a park. Alvaro, 16, drew his rural school in Nicaragua with a twisted tree to one side, on which he wrote, “Law?” Gonzalo and Sheryl, both 15, ask in their poster: “What would happen if you had schooling, a good old age, and freedom, and didn’t have child soldiers or malnutrition?” And 13-year-old Manuel did an abstract drawing he entitled “The Right to Creativity.”
  
  In 107 works from 12 countries, boys, girls, and young adults used art to convey their impressions of what are human rights and what is the Inter-American Commission. The posters were exhibited at the OAS General Secretariat Building from October 30 to December 10, 2009. All the works can be seen through the online virtual exhibition.
  
  The first prize in each category consisted of (U.S.) $500.00 and a certificate. Certificates were also awarded for works chosen as finalists. The first prize in the category of young adults went to an oil painting on canvas submitted by 19-year-old Emily Philipps of the United States, while the first prize in the category of children and teens went for a collage and drawing entitled “We Have the Right to Much More,” a collective work by three girls—Ingrid Pereira Paine, 14; Marcela Espinoza Nahuelán, 15; and Karol Espinoza Nahuelán, 12—who attend a school for indigenous children with special abilities, located in the region of Bio Bio, in southern Chile. The OAS magazine Américas published an article about the contest.
• Special Meeting of the OAS Permanent Council to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the IACHR
  
  
  
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  The OAS organized several commemorative events to mark the 50th anniversary of the IACHR. On November 11, 2009, the OAS Permanent Council held a special meeting in the Simón Bolívar Room of its main headquarters building to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the 40th anniversary of the American Convention on Human Rights, and the 30th anniversary of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. IACHR Chair Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero gave a speech in which she talked about key moments in the Commission’s history, obstacles it had faced, and progress it had made. Click here to see the videos of the special meeting.
• Roundtable: Challenges and Future of the Inter-American System on Human Rights
  
  
  
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  Photo Gallery
  
  The XIX OAS Policy Roundtable, which took place on November 11, 2009, in the Hall of the Americas, focused on “Challenges and Future of the Inter-American System on Human Rights.” The panelists were Juan E. Méndez, Special Advisor on Prevention to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and former Chair of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; Armstrong A. Wiggins, Director of the Indian Law Resource Center; Helen Mack, Founder and President of the Myrna Mack Foundation, Guatemala; Douglass Cassel, Director of the Center for Civil and Human Rights at Notre Dame Law School; and Juan Pablo Olmedo, President of the Chilean Transparency Council and an attorney and user of the inter-American system. Click here to see the videos of the roundtable.
• Current Challenges in International Human Rights Protection from an Ibero-American Perspective
  
  At the invitation of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), the IACHR participated on October 16-18 in a forum on “Current Challenges in International Human Rights Protection from an Ibero-American Perspective,” which took place in Madrid.
• Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA)
  
  The Executive Secretariat participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA), which took place in Ottawa in the context of the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the FIPA. The event aimed to promote comprehensive dialogue on the phenomenon of migration in the Americas and the role members of parliament play in creating a legal framework that is respectful of human rights.
• Event on the African Human Rights System and other Regional Systems
  
  In May, the Assistant Executive Secretary participated in an event on the African human rights system and other regional systems, held in Banjul, Gambia, at the invitation of the Human Rights Centre of the University of Pretoria, South Africa.
• Meeting of High-Level Authorities of Mercosur
  
  In April, the IACHR Executive Secretariat participated, among other activities, in the Meeting of High-Level Human Rights Authorities of Mercosur, which took place in Asunción, Paraguay.
• Cine Americas Series on The Disappeared
  
  As part of its promotional efforts, the IACHR provided support to hold an OAS Cine Americas Series on "The Disappeared." The event, held January 12-15, 2009, included screenings of documentaries and discussions on the subject matter.     

Course on the Inter-American and International Systems for the Protection of Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the American University Washington College of Law, and the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the University of Texas organized the Fifth Course on the Inter-American and International Systems for the Protection of Human Rights. The course took place October 18-29, 2010, parallel to the 140th period of sessions of the IACHR, in Washington, D.C.

Students in the Course on the Inter-American and International Systems
for the Protection of Human Rights, offered in October 2010.

This course, which has been organized once a year since 2005, aims to provide nongovernmental human rights organizations (NGOs) with tools to help them define strategies for using both the inter-American and United Nations protection systems. The course gives participants the opportunity to attend the Inter-American Commission’s sessions and hearings. Several of the course modules are offered by specialists from the IACHR Executive Secretariat. Course participants also have the opportunity to establish contacts with members of NGOs who attend the IACHR sessions in Washington and who have a long track record and vast experience in using the tools available through the inter-American human rights system.

The course is geared toward members of NGOs who have used or continue to use the inter-American and international human rights systems, and who need additional technical training in how the various protection mechanisms work. The course has a largely practical focus that allows the participants to acquire skills to make use of the system.

The process of selecting participants aims to achieve a balance in terms of gender, the thematic work areas of the organization they represent, and their geographical area of activity. Course participants must have at least three years’ active work experience in a human rights NGO; have basic knowledge of or experience in the use of regional or universal mechanisms for the protection of human rights; work for an NGO that has the capacity to make use of the inter-American system; and have a good command of the Spanish language.

The course includes presentations on the inter-American and universal human rights systems and on case law and notable cases, and offers training in how to file petitions and how to work with victims of human rights violations, as well as training in litigation strategies. Class modules include the following:

• Introduction to International Human Rights Law
• The Inter-American Protection System
• The International Protection System
• Comparative Analysis of Regional and International Systems
• Presentation of Cases before the United Nations System: The Treaty Bodies
• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Latest Developments, Agenda, and Work Method
• The Inter-American Court of Human Rights
• The Inter-American System’s Case System and Rules of Procedure and Evidence
• Hearings
• Case Law. Most Significant IACHR Decisions
• Work with Victims of Human Rights Violations
• Follow-up to and Implementation of IACHR Decisions
• Use of the System’s Case Law to Establish Domestic Human Rights Standards

Participants are responsible for finding their own funding to attend the course. The course coordinator may assist the selected participants in the process of seeking funds. On occasion, the IACHR is able to obtain financial resources to offer a limited number of scholarships; these are distributed taking into account, among other factors, the efforts each candidate has made to obtain his or her own funding.

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The IACHR authorizes the reproduction, printing, and distribution of this promotional brochure, free of charge. It is not necessary to request special permission in writing.