On Thursday, February 5,
2015, Dr. David P. Stewart, a member of the
Inter-American Juridical Committee, presented
the 2014
report of this advisory body on juridical
matters of an international nature before the
CAJP.
Among the results achieved in
the last year, he noted the adoption of reports
in the field of sexual orientation, gender
identity and gender expression; the use of
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for
the prevention of drug abuse; border and
neighborhood integration; and corporate social
responsibility of enterprises in the field of
human rights and the environment in the Americas
He remarked that in the last two topics, the
Committee has elaborated guides composed of
concrete proposals for dealing with real
problems based on a careful analysis of
contemporary trends and relevant legal texts and
principles.
In this context, Dr. Stewart
suggested that Member States consider the
possibility of examining the Model laws
submitted by the Committee (one on the
protection of cultural property in case of armed
conflict and the other on simplified stock
companies), and if they meet with approval, to
adopt them through a resolution approved by the
General Assembly of the OAS. Additionally,
recommended the General Assembly will consider
taking note of the “Guiding Principles on
Corporate Social responsibility”.
In his intervention, Dr.
Stewart reiterated the invaluable contribution
of responses and answers to questionnaires
submitted by member States to the Committee,
which allow the rapporteurs know firsthand the
situation on particular issues and ensure the
usefulness of the worked proposals.
With regard to the budget, Dr. Stewart
acknowledged the efforts done by member States
in the allocation of funds for 2015.
The representatives of the
States present at the meeting thanked the CJI
for the relevance of the issues and consistency,
objectivity and seriousness of the work done.
Among the comments, there were references to the
agreed budget as well as comments and proposals
regarding the substantive developments of the
topics on the agenda.
Dr. Stewart expressed his
pride to participate in a collegial group of the
nature of the Committee, whose members work with
rigor and professionalism in a space where
diverse opinions are respected. He also valued
the assistance provided by the staff of the
Department of International Law and the
Secretariat for Legal Affairs. At the end of his
speech, he invited delegations to participate in
the next Course on International Law that will
take place in August 3-21, 2015, which main
theme is "The current inter-American legal
agenda".
The Chairman of the Political
and Juridical Affairs Committee, Ambassador
Stephen Vasciannie, thanked Dr. David P. Stewart
for his presentation and praised the variety and
relevance of the topics addressed by the IACJ.
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