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Honduras Deposits at OAS Accession to Conventions on Human Rights, Elimination of the Death Penalty, and Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities

The Permanent Representative of Honduras to the Organization of American States (OAS), Ambassador Leonidas Rosa Bautista, today presented to Secretary General José Miguel Insulza his country's instrument of accession to three continental conventions: the Convention to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities; the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty; and the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights or "Protocol of San Salvador."

Ambassador Rosa Bautista said his country "is committed to protecting and defending human rights," and that this commitment "goes beyond the words." In that sense he mentioned the various initiatives the government of President Porfirio Lobo has undertaken in that direction: "In the last year, the Government created a Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the only one in the hemisphere, to ensure from the executive branch compliance by the state of its commitments in this field. The Ministry of Ethnic Affairs also was created to develop the potential and secure the rights of traditionally marginalized minority populations. "

At the ceremony, which took place at the Organization’s headquarters in Washington, DC, the Honduran diplomat said his country "has signed all the agreements on human rights and was one of the first states to accept, unconditionally, the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. "

The Secretary General welcomed the decision by the government of Honduras to adhere to the inter-American agreements given the importance they have in promoting the principles and objectives of the Organization. "We hope that all member countries sign and ratify the conventions, but that's not an easy task, and it is very rare that a country decides to do so with three instruments at the same time. This shows the willingness of President Porfirio Lobo to enter into the inter-American system," he said.

The leader of the hemispheric organization said the international conventions and protocols ratified by Honduras constitute "key pieces of the organization’s work." He made special reference to the "foundational nature" of the American Convention on Human Rights and its Additional Protocol, as well as the achievements accomplished in the implementation of the Convention to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against persons with disabilities. "We want to follow up this convention the way it should be. There is still much to be done in our region, not only adherence on the part of countries, but also the need to adjust national legislation to allow persons with disabilities to live a normal life," he added.

In relation to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty, Secretary General Insulza explained that this practice is no longer common in Latin American countries, and concluded by congratulating the Central American country's government for "giving impetus to these agreements."

Additional information on the status of the signing and ratification of American conventions and protocols is available on the website of the OAS Secretariat for Legal Affairs, which serves as the official depositary of bilateral and multilateral inter-American treaties.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-950/11