Inter-American Juridical Committee - February 2014

Inter-American Juridical Committee Presents Annual Report to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs

On Thursday, February 20, Dr. David P. Stewart, member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI), presented to the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs its Annual Report covering activities during 2013, document CP/doc.4956/14.

Dr. Stewart's presentation exhaustively described the CJI's most recent developments and noted the various instruments adopted:

• Model law on a simplified stock corporation, which proposes a way to reduce the costs and procedures involved in forming a corporation;

• The declaration of principles on privacy and data protection, which provides the bases for protecting the data and privacy of individuals in the Hemisphere;

• The guide on regulation of the use of force and protection for persons in situations of internal violence that do not qualify as an armed conflict, which seeks to strike a balance between enforcement by police and security forces and respect for human rights; and

• The model legislation on protection of cultural property in cases of armed conflict, which identifies specific measures for protecting such property in peacetime.

Along with highlighting practical aspects and the broad range of topics addressed by the CJI, Dr. Stewart expressed its members' serious commitment to the Organization's mandates. He said the Juridical Committee had fulfilled the mandates entrusted to it by the General Assembly as well as those assumed on its own initiative. Dr. Stewart thanked the delegations for their steady support, especially in regard to the queries the Juridical Committee poses with a view to reflecting the interests and experiences of all the states. At the same time he noted that in many cases the CJI had never received information from certain delegations or their capitals; he said that a greater number of replies would be required in order to ensure that the Committee's proposals are useful and serve their purpose.

On the promotion of international law, Dr. Stewart cited the meetings held with members of other international organizations, such as the International Law Commission of the UN and the African Union, as well as the Course on International Law, which is held in coordination with the Department of International Law and reached its 40th anniversary last August.

In concluding his presentation, Dr. Stewart expressed the CJI's interest in continuing to promote the rule of law, economic development, and harmonization and unification of law with a view to making a direct positive impact on the peoples of the Americas.

All the delegations in attendance who took the floor recognized the notable work of the Committee and the impact these developments have on the daily lives of states and citizens. Delegations expressed unanimous support to the CJI and its members. Statements were made in support of revising the CJI's budget allocation. 

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