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OAS Commemorates International Human Rights Day

The Organization of American States (OAS) today celebrated International Human Rights Day with a roundtable on the subject, with the participation of OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza; María Otero, United States Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs; Santiago Canton, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); and Juan Méndez, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

The head of the OAS noted that “this is one of the most important subjects at our Organization,” adding that the institutions of the Inter-American System of Human Rights have in their work addressed “more and more the needs, problems and dramas in our region.”

“In our Organization we have made much progress in this, and our system is unique in the world. An autonomous IACHR such as the one we have is something we must always defend. Despite the problems and difficulties that sometimes may arise, I believe that all countries of the Americas agree on this fundamental issue,” he said.

The OAS thus joined in the commemoration of the ratification on December 10, 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNO).

Secretary General Insulza said he was “very glad to be able to celebrate this day in an Organization that has done its part in the promotion of human rights,” and mentioned the passage in April of 1948 of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and the creation of the Inter-American Court of and Commission on Human Rights, as well as of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights.

Otero, the United States Under Secretary of State, said in recent decades fundamental progress has been achieved on the subject, and yet “from the Far East to the Western Hemisphere, we face ongoing challenges that merit our attention.” Among the principal challenges affecting Latin America and the Caribbean, she mentioned the protection and empowerment of vulnerable groups, for which she called for collaboration in the fight against violence and discrimination due to sex, race, ethnicity, handicap, sexual orientation or identity; the preservation of freedom of speech; and the strengthening of democracies through the role of civil society.

“How we address these issues in the coming years—both domestically and internationally—will write the story of our success in human rights for generations to come,” Otero asserted. “The challenges are daunting, yet we have seen the rewards of progress. Despite the economic crisis, our region boasts indications of economic development and stable, accountable democratic institutions. The Western Hemisphere has the capacity to lead the world in human rights.”

In his speech, the Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Santiago Canton, made an assessment of the progress and challenges on human rights in the region, and placed special emphasis on the role of civil society, without which “the Inter-American System would be an empty shell.” Among the improvements achieved, he highlighted the annulment of the effects of laws of amnesty in some countries, which has paved the road for judging those responsible for serious violations of human rights. He also mentioned among other successes the progressive recognition of the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their land and the repeal of insult laws in some ten countries of the Americas.

Among other pending challenges, Canton said “there is a debt on the part of countries regarding the observance of decisions made by the Commission and Court. Progress has been made, but the levels of compliance must yet improve greatly, especially on matters of justice.” Further, he emphasized the need to move forward on the fight against all types of discrimination and urged the countries to ratify the inter-American treaties to achieve their universalization, to improve the levels of compliance of the decisions by the IACHR and the Court, and to raise the financial resources needed by the inter-American system so that its bodies can fulfill their mandates.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment said the year 1948 “marked the beginning of a process that of course has not culminated yet but has had a very important evolution,” which he explained in three stages: first, the creation of standards of observance for countries, through multilateral treaties and agreements; the creation of mechanisms so that victims may make claims before the international community; and the current one, in which the objective is “to make human rights efficient nationally and internationally.”

Méndez asserted that he has “great hope” for the current era, because “civil society in our countries and the institutions of the OAS are great pillars for the respect of these rights, and they offer guarantees that we are going to continue making progress on the road to full democracy and human rights in our continent.”

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-489/10