Tania Reneaum Panszi Takes Office as IACHR's New Executive Secretary

June 3, 2021

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Washington, D.C. – Tania Reneaum Panszi took office on June 1, 2021, as the new Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). She was appointed—as previously announced on May 4—with a four-year mandate that can be renewed once.

Tania Reneaum Panszi, a Mexican national, was selected in a broad, open, transparent, and participative process. The IACHR's new Executive Secretary has a doctorate in Law from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. She holds two master's degrees (an International Master's Degree in Criminal Law and Comparative Social Problems from the University of Barcelona and an Official Master's Degree in Legal Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University). She also holds a degree in Legal Sciences from José Simeón Cañas Central American University in El Salvador. She has more than 23 years' experience working professionally in the field of human rights, both in academia and in civil society, government, and international organizations. She has vast knowledge of the instruments available in the Inter-American System. She has served as executive director of Amnesty International Mexico. In the fields of talent and financial-resource management, she has led large teams in several organizations and has implemented successful fundraising strategies.

In keeping with the requirements spelled out in Article 11 of the IACHR's Rules of Procedure, the Commission's current Executive Secretary is set to hold the position until June 2025, and her mandate could be renewed for a single further four-year term.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 142/21