Background and Mandates

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The Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the area of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights – “Protocol of San Salvador” – entered into force on November 16th, 1999.

To the date 20 countries have signed it, and of those, sixteen Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) have ratified such legal instrument:

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Mexico
Costa Rica		 Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Suriname
Nicaragua		 Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay

Pursuant to the provisions of the Article 19 and the corresponding rules to be formulated for this purpose by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, the States Parties to this Protocol undertake to submit periodic reports on the progressive measures they have taken to ensure due respect for the rights set forth in this Protocol.

Additionally, the Fourth Summit of the Americas Plan of Action (Mar del Plata, Argentina, November, 2005) in paragraph 63 urged Member States to consider signing and ratifying, or adhering, as necessary, to the Additional Protocol and to collaborate in the development of progress indicators in the area of economic, social, and cultural rights.

Since 2004, the General Assembly issued resolutions, in order to ensure compliance with Article 19 of the Protocol of San Salvador, through the following mandates: