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HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OPENS 130TH REGULAR SESSION, WITH STATES BEING ASKED FOR OPEN INVITATIONS TO CONDUCT VISITS

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) inaugurated its 130th regular session, amidst calls by Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and Commission Chairman Florentín Meléndez for Member States to extend “open invitations” for the Commission to conduct visits.

“To fully carry out its functions, the IACHR must be assured it has the support of all of the Organization’s Member States. Let me suggest here that all our Member States could extend open invitations to the IACHR, as some have already been doing. This would allow the Commission to better schedule its activities,” the Secretary General stressed. “It would also be an invaluable demonstration of Member States’ commitment to collaborating with the Commission in carrying out its work.”

Chairman Meléndez, meanwhile, made reference to “positive response” from Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico, regarding the suggestion of facilitating open visits by the OAS human rights agency.

“As Chairman of the IACHR, I appreciate the political will expressed by Member States to the request concerning open invitation to the Commission, so it may visit a country and fully carry out its mandate and work. This is necessary, furthermore, in the interest of transparency, democratic political will and commitment by Member States to respecting human rights in the Americas,” said Meléndez.

Both Insulza and Meléndez agreed on the need to move forward on universal application of the inter-American human rights system, with the Secretary General arguing that this is “an important point.”

Secretary General Insulza said: “We have a system that is not being applied equally to the states. They all agree to elect members to the Commission; all the organization’s Member States are eligible to be elected to the Court, but not all of them have ratified the Convention and/or accepted the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights,” he explained.

The IACHR Chairman called for “deeper constructive dialogue and cooperation with the Member States.” He also asked for OAS support “to continue urging the Member States to comply with the Commission’s decisions; to expand the universal application of the system, especially for those states that have not even ratified the American Convention on Human Rights; to significantly strengthen the regular budget; and to have open invitations for the Commission to visit member countries.”

In his remarks, Secretary General Insulza made the case for the IACHR to be provided the necessary resources. “Lack of resources have mainly led to difficulties in processing cases, which lead to long delays—and consequently, of course, to criticism from states and civil society alike. The lack of resources has worsened with the increasing caseload of complaints lodged with the Commission. This year alone saw a 17 per cent increase in complaints filed with the Commission, compared to 2006,” he said.

For the current session, which runs until October 19, the IACHR received 130 requests for hearings: 27 hearings and 29 working meetings relate to individual cases, petitions, precautionary measures, the general human rights situation, and on a variety of issues of hemispheric importance.

The 130th session is set to also consider reports on petitions and individual cases concerning various countries. Among other agenda items, the session will also continue discussions on a document on principles concerning individuals held under arrest; and will hold working sessions with the government of Canada and with Human Rights Attorneys General of Central America, with magistrates and judges from various countries of the region, and with the OAS Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs.

Among top OAS officials on hand for the inauguration of the session were the OAS Permanent Council Chairman, Ambassador Rodolfo Gil of Argentina; OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin; and IACHR Executive Secretary Santiago Cantón.

Reference: E-256/07