The Inter-American Juridical Committee’s (CJI) 99th regular session, held virtually this past August 1 to 11, adopted three documents of major importance to the region. They contain 10
recommendations for the adoption of domestic laws on the regulation of fireworks and pyrotechnic devices in the Americas, in response to a General Assembly mandate; a proposal on the
inter-American legal framework to strengthen the region's social and economic resilience against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, also requested by the General Assembly; and a
declaration on neuroscience, neurotechnologies and human rights.
These documents have been delivered to the
Permanent Council for consideration and possible
referral to the OAS General Assembly. They are
also available on the
CJI website in both Spanish and English.
During the 99th regular session, the CJI also
discussed issues related to the law applicable
to foreign investments, contracts between
merchants with a contractually weak party, new
technologies and their relevance to
international legal cooperation, the right to
education, and public international law
applicable to cyberspace; customary
international law, particularly in the context
of the Americas; the development of
inter-American principles on the legal regime
for the creation, operation, financing, and
dissolution of civil nonprofit entities; the
development of inter-American guidelines on the
participation of victims in criminal proceedings
against acts of corruption. Two other issues on
the CJI's working agenda: the inviolability of
diplomatic premises as a principle of
international relations and its relationship to
the notion of diplomatic asylum; and the
exceptional nature of the use of force in the
inter-American context.
Likewise, on Monday, August 10, 2021, the Eighth
Joint Meeting with the Legal Advisors to
Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the OAS member
states was held. It drew participation from 20
countries (Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic,
Saint Lucia, Suriname, and Uruguay). Spain's
Legal Consultant also took part, as did
specialists from the International Committee of
the Red Cross. That meeting discussed two items
from the CJI agenda, relating to public
international law applicable to cyberspace; and
to specific customary law in the inter-American
context. Another Joint Meeting is expected to be
held in 2023.
The CJI's 100th regular session will be held
March 28 to April 1, 2022 and will discuss the
agenda items approved for that occasion.
The CJI is the consultative organ of the OAS for
juridical matters and is composed of 11 jurists
from the member states, elected to a four-year
term.
» For additional information about the Department of International Law (DIL), please
visit our website.
