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INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION SIGNS DECLARATION OF SANTIAGO DE CHILE ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

  September 4, 2009

Santiago, Chile, September 4, 2009 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) signed the Declaration of Santiago de Chile on September 3, 2009, reaffirming that the ideals of the inter-American human rights system continue to apply 50 years after the Commission’s creation. The ceremony commemorating the IACHR’s 50th anniversary took place in the O’Higgins Hall of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the same room in which the act creating the Inter-American Commission was signed on August 18, 1959. 

Through the Declaration of Santiago de Chile, the IACHR reaffirmed the continued relevance of the human rights system’s ideals “of ensuring respect for human dignity and guaranteeing a life free of fear and misery,” and underscored that “it is essential to consolidate democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic and social development throughout the region.” 

The Declaration of Santiago de Chile was signed by the President of the Commission, Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero; the First Vice President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President, Felipe González; Commissioners Paolo Carozza, Sérgio Pinheiro, Florentín Meléndez, and Sir Clare K. Roberts; and the Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Santiago A. Canton. The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, participated in the commemoration ceremony, along with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Foreign Minister of Chile, Mariano Fernández. 

Following is the complete text of the Declaration of Santiago de Chile.   

DECLARATION OF SANTIAGO DE CHILE 

50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 

THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its creation in the city of Santiago, Chile, 

DECLARES: 

  1. That the experience of five decades of working to promote and protect human rights through petitions, individual cases, general situations, and thematic approaches demonstrates the importance of strengthening the bodies of the inter-American system and generating a true awareness of human rights in society;
  2. That the strengthening of the system is possible through a renewal, consolidation, and universalization of human rights ideals, a task that should be undertaken jointly by the Inter-American Commission and Court, the OAS Member States, civil society, and those who seek justice in the Americas;
  3. That having democracy effectively in force, under the terms defined by the Inter-American Democratic Charter, is a condition for the full enjoyment of the human rights of all people of the Americas, without any discrimination whatsoever;
  4. That it is critical to maintain a constructive dialogue with all those who use the inter-American system to strengthen human rights and democracy;
  5. That the ideals of the human rights system expressed in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man, the American Convention on Human Rights, and other instruments continue to apply today, those of ensuring respect for human dignity and guaranteeing a life free of fear and misery; hence, it is essential to consolidate democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic and social development throughout the region. 

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Reference: IACHR61/09