Participation in the strategic planning of the IACHR
On February 10, we participated in the consultation process opened by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to civil society organizations in Washington, DC. This is done in the framework of the implementation of its strategic planning for the period 2017-2020.
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During the first part of the day, the space was allocated to the organizations present to give their position on the human rights challenges to be taken into account for the coming years. Among the topics mentioned are the rights of migrants, women, LGTBIQ people, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples. In the second part of the consultation, the objectives that the Commission drew up as a draft were revised by working groups.
The challenges we identify in the future for human rights in the region are related to economic, social, cultural and environmental rights (DESCA), which have been widely recognized as human rights but not sufficiently addressed by hemispheric bodies. Another important item on the agenda is access to information, fundamental for democratic systems, and declared as a human right related to freedom of expression by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Access to information is of the utmost importance since it has a direct impact on the exercise of other human rights, including DESCA.On the other hand, we highlight the link between human rights and companies, due to the growing tendency to capture corporations around the world. In this sense, States should play a greater role, avoiding giving in to self-regulation commitments of the private sector and the interference of companies in sensitive public policy sectors. To this end, initiatives should be promoted to increase the levels of accountability of the private sector, not forgetting the responsibility of States. Finally, we express our concern about the situation of human rights defenders, with Latin America being one of the most dangerous regions for this group and we have proposed instances of participation outside national capitals.
The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Americas. The processes for reviewing the agency’s activities, such as strategic planning, are of great relevance to the inter-American human rights system and the agenda of civil society on the continent.
More information
Intervention of FUNDEPS in the Strategic Plan process
Contact
Carolina Tamagnini – carotamagnini@fundeps.org
