Inter-American Juridical Committee - March 2014

Inter-American Juridical Committee holds 84th regular session

The Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI) held its 84th regular session at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, From the March 10 to 14, 2014.

In the course of the session the Committee completed its consideration of three topics: “Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression”; “General Guidelines for Border Integration”; and “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Field of Human Rights and the Environment in the Americas.” The reports on these topics will be submitted to the Permanent Council.

• The first topic pertains to a mandate from the General Assembly requesting a “study of the legal implications and conceptual and terminological developments related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression,” for which the majority of members of the Committee noted progress in the domestic laws of member states. They also reviewed the case law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and examined inter-American and international instruments that specifically address discrimination on the basis of “sexual orientation.”

• The report on “Corporate Social Responsibility in the Field of Human Rights and the Environment in the Americas” reviews regional initiatives, surveys differences among domestic laws, and presents an analysis of corporate practice. It also contains a set of “Guiding Principles for Member States.”

• Finally the report titled “General Guidelines for Border Integration” offers practical recommendations for establishing, developing, and consolidating an integration zone between neighboring countries. The idea is to keep up a permanent exchange in a variety of areas of interest, including citizen security, border crossing control, education, and services, among others.

In addition, the CJI included on its agenda the topic of the law applicable to international contracts, and offered a heartfelt homage to Dr. Freddy Castillo Castellanos, whose mandate concluded in December 2013.

The next regular session of the CJI will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 4 to 8, 2014.

The purpose of the Inter-American Juridical Committee is to serve the Organization as an advisory body on juridical matters, to promote the progressive development and codification of international law, to study juridical problems related to the integration of the developing countries of the Hemisphere, and to further the process of legislative uniformity among the member States. 

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