IACHR Press Office
Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concluded its promotional visit to Argentina, which took place from April 25 to 29, 2022. The visit was led by the President, Julissa Mantilla Falcón, and included the Executive Secretary, Tania Reneaum Panszi, and specialists from the IACHR Executive Secretariat. During the visit, the delegation met with the President of Argentina and high-level national authorities, took part in meetings with civil society organizations, and was involved in various training and capacity-building activities on human rights.
The main activities included a seminar organized by the Inter-American Association of Public Defenders (AIDEF) on the Impact of the Jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from the Public Defense Perspective.
The President of the IACHR and the Executive Secretary were also present when the President of Argentina received the draft bill on the illegal sale and adoption of children and adolescents, as part of the compliance with the ruling of the IA Court that condemned Argentina in the "Fornerón and daughter" case in 2012. The IACHR appreciates the willingness of the Argentine State to comply with the ruling of the IA Court and will present its observations in due course during the relevant proceedings.
The delegation also met with the Minister of Justice and Human Rights; the Minister of Health; the Minister of Women, Gender, and Diversity; and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. It also visited the Woman at the ESMAII exhibition at the Museum of Memory, part of the Space for Memory and Human Rights (formerly the ESMA clandestine detention center), in the company of the Secretary of Human Rights.
"The IACHR made its first on-site visit to Argentina in 1979. Some 43 years later, during this promotional visit, through the work of the inter-American system, we once again express our commitment to human rights, particularly to the processes of memory, truth, and justice and women's rights," said IACHR President Julissa Mantilla Falcón.
Also significant was its meeting with the Executive Director of the Mercosur Institute for Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH). President Mantilla Falcón also took part in the event on political violence, democracy, and participation with gender equality, organized by Latin American Team on Justice and Gender, alongside gender experts and civil society organizations.
"The IACHR promotional visit allowed us to engage in dialogue with different stakeholders in Argentina and Americas to reflect on the role of the IACHR, States, and society, and to identify how we can contribute to transforming our realities and improving our quality of life, which means more rights for all," said the Executive Secretary, Tania Reneaum Panszi.
The delegation was made up of Julissa Mantilla Falcón, President; Tania Reneaum Panszi, Executive Secretary; Soledad García Muñoz, Rapporteur on ESCERs; Jorge Meza Flores, Assistant Secretary for Petitions and Cases; Marisol Blanchard, Advisor to the Office of the Executive Secretary; and a technical team from the Executive Secretariat.
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. 092/22
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