A COURSE ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM BEGINS IN THE FOREIGN MINISTRY

A course on the rights of indigenous peoples in the Inter-American human rights system began today in the Foreign Ministry; it ends on July 13th. The course is organized by the Department of International Law of the Secretariat for Legal Affairs (SLA) of the Organization of American States (OAS) in coordination with the Foreign Ministry and the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (CDI.) 

The course is designed to familiarize 41 indigenous leaders and civil servants of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama with the Inter-American human rights system, so that they can communicate what they learn to their communities, organizations and institutions. 

During the inauguration, the Foreign Ministry’s Director General of Human Rights and Democracy, Ambassador Alejandro Negrin, said that the Mexican government welcomed this course given the recent enactment of constitutional reforms on human rights and the writ of amparo. He also said that the course is one of the steps taken in Mexico to ensure the rights of indigenous peoples in areas such as education, health and access to justice by training interpreters. 

He also said that Mexico has played a key role in creating an international legal regime that protects the rights of indigenous peoples, including the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the establishment of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the UN Commission on Human Rights (now the Human Rights Council) of the UN, created at Mexico’s initiative.

Also attending the inauguration were the OAS Representative in Mexico, Ambassador Antonio Araníbar Quiroga; the Director of the Department of International Law, Dr. Luis Toro; and the Director General of Planning and Consultation of the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, Dr. Mirna Aragon. 

With these steps, the Foreign Ministry reaffirms its commitment to promoting the highest standards of rights for indigenous peoples.