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OAS Permanent Council Continues Discussion of Proposals to Strengthen the Inter-American System of Human Rights

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today continued debating a proposal of recommendations to be sent to the Special General Assembly on March 22, with the aim of concluding the process of strengthening the Inter-American System of Human Rights (ISHR).

At a special meeting today, the Council addressed the recommendations to OAS Member States, including the search for universal acceptance of the American Convention of Human Rights as well as all other Inter-American human rights instruments; the preparation of guides to facilitate the exchange of good practices on the issue of collaboration with and implementation of decisions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; and the promotion of cooperation among States to support one other and to advance toward common goals on the issue.

The event on March 22, to be held in Washington DC, will conclude a process that began at the General Assembly of El Salvador, in June 2011, with the creation of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Council which presented its report of recommendations in January 2012. Subsequently, in June 2012, the General Assembly held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, instructed the Permanent Council to complete its work in this area before the end of the first trimester of 2013. To meet the objective, the Council adopted a Work Plan in September 2012, which is currently in its third phase, entitled "Preparation of a report for the consideration of the General Assembly."

The event on March 22, to be held in Washington, DC, will conclude a process that began at the General Assembly of El Salvador, in June 2011, with the creation of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Council which presented its report of recommendations in January 2012. Subsequently, in June 2012, the General Assembly held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, instructed the Permanent Council to complete its work in this area before the end of the first trimester of 2013. To meet said objective, the Council adopted a Work Plan in September 2012, which is currently in its third phase, entitled "Preparation of a report for the consideration of the General Assembly."

During the session the Permanent Council welcomed Ambassador Joaquin Maza Martelli, who recently presented credentials to OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, as the Permanent Representative of El Salvador to the Organization, a position he already held between 2010 and 2011.

The representative of El Salvador reaffirmed in his introductory address his country's commitment to the role of the OAS as the hemisphere’s main political forum and to its many tasks, especially in the development of the Member Countries. "The OAS is and will be for El Salvador the most important hemispheric body not because of its age and history, but for the freedoms and broad constructive dialogue that it promotes in the analysis of our agenda," he said.

Ambassador Maza Martelli said the future role of the organization "depends on the support and commitment of each of its Member States," and urged further discussion about the capabilities of the institution based on the "Strategic Vision of the OAS" presented by the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza. "In that report, the Secretary General has been able to interpret the times and the realities of the relationship between the political and budgetary aspects that are crucial to the work of this organization," he said, adding later that "the document not only sparks debate and reflection, but it clearly outlines a path we can follow."

The Permanent Council decided to continue the debate on the strengthening of the ISHR on Friday, March 1, at 14:30 EST (19:30 GMT) with a new meeting at its headquarters in Washington, DC. The Council also determined that on March 6 at 15:30 EST (20:30 GMT) it will meet again with the Chair of the IACHR as part of the same process.

At the same meeting Member States referred to the Committee on Inter-American Summits Management and Civil Society Participation in OAS Activities a list of the 35 non-governmental organizations and other users of the ISHR who registered to participate in the dialogue with the Permanent Council scheduled for March 6 at 9:30 EST (14:30 GMT). The Council invited the Commission to submit a recommendation "as soon as possible" in order to be able to send the formal invitations to the participating organizations.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event is available here.

The audio of the event will be available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-066/13