MEXICO HOSTS A MEETING ON STRENGTHENING THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM

• As part of its firm commitment to human rights, Mexico renews its support for strengthening the inter-American human rights system.

• The meeting was attended by the Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS); the Commissioners of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR); and representatives of civil society organizations.

On September 13-14, the Mexico Meeting on Strengthening the Inter-American Human Rights System was held in the Foreign Ministry. The meeting is one of several convened by the IACHR as part of its efforts to reform its rules, policies and practices. Previous meetings were held in Bogotá, Colombia (August 22); Santiago de Chile (September 7) and San Jose, Costa Rica (September 11).

The meeting was attended by Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco, other Commissioners and the Executive Secretary of the IACHR; senior officials of the OAS member states, representatives of civil society  and academics interested in human rights, who discussed the way in which the inter-American human rights system is functioning.

The meeting was inaugurated by the Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, who noted that the Mexican government’s commitment to the Inter-American Human Rights System is a matter of principle and is based on the evidence that the country’s relationship with the system has led to institutional and legislative changes of great significance that have consolidated a culture of human rights in Mexico. He said that the system’s current condition should be seen as an opportunity to establish an open dialogue on the way the commission is working and to propose reforms or ways of operating that truly strengthen the system.

Commissioner Orozco discussed the many and varied demands facing the Commission, including its workload consisting of the initial review of petitions, admissibility and merits reports, follow-up on its recommendations and friendly settlement reports.

The meeting included discussions between the IACHR and Member States on: i) the individual petition system, ii) precautionary measures, iii) monitoring country situations, and iv) the Commission’s promotional activities, universality and transparency, among others. A number of specific proposals to improve the operation of the IACHR were put forth.

The meeting also includes the “Mexico Forum" for the general public, which will bring together more than 150 of the hemisphere’s civil society organizations and will be inaugurated by Interior Secretary Alejandro Poiré Romero.

The Mexican government is fully committed to the Inter-American Court and Commission on Human Rights, which have a great impact on the promotion and protection of human rights and the consolidation of democracy in the region.

Currently, three prominent Mexicans are participating on the court and the commission: Dr. José de Jesús Orozco as IACHR Commissioner; Emilio Alvarez Icaza as IACHR Executive Secretary; and, beginning in 2013, Dr. Eduardo Ferrer MacGregor will serve as a judge on the Court.

The Inter-American Human Rights System is the set of OAS procedures and institutions responsible for promoting the observance of human rights in the region.