Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Strategic Plan 2011-2015
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Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Strategic Plan 2011-2015 Organization of American States ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER-AMERiCaN COMMiSSiON ON HUMaN RiGhTS A vision for the Nowadays things come to pass under the ceremonial covers of political Inter-American and judicial institutions as if in all of our nations the freedom, the peace Commission of mind, the dignity –in sum, the happiness- of all human persons were since 1960 sufficiently guaranteed. But that this is the case always or in all places is as false as it is untrue that mere geographic boundaries render the fate of a people totally irrelevant to another … There is thirst for justice in areas throughout the American Continent. It is experienced by peoples who are self-aware and possess the inalienable right to procure material and spiritual wellness for themselves. Our Commission, which will obey the purpose of protecting and defending the rights that constitute the human dignity, cannot be destined to fail as if it were the creature of dreamers because it finds its reason for being in the best aspirations of the spirit of the Americas. —Rómulo Gallegos, First President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. October 13, 1960 ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER -AM E RICAN COMMISSION O N HUMAN RI G H T S The Inter-American Persons within the jurisdiction Commission of the OAS Member States on Human Rights in 2016 have easy and direct access to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; the Commission responds promptly to people’s needs; its decisions and recommendations, when carried out by the States, are an effective tool by which the States strengthen their mechanisms to protect and promote human rights; the inter-American conventions in the area of human rights are ratified by all States in the hemisphere and the commitments they undertake therein are fully incorporated into their domestic laws; the specific needs of groups that have historically been the victims of discrimination are taken into account and reflected in the design and implementation of all IACHR activities. Table of Contents Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Strategic Plan 2011-2015 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... i Part I 50 Years Defending Human Rights: Results and Challenges ......................................... 5 Part II Programs and Actions Plans ........................................................................................... 69 Part III Evaluation and Monitoring ............................................................................................... 109 Inter-American Commission On Human Rights Strategic Plan 2011-2015 Executive Summary Organization of American States [ A ] ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES INTER -AM E RICAN COMMISSION O N HUMAN RI G H T S The Inter-American Persons within the jurisdiction Commission of the OAS Member States on Human Rights in 2016 have easy and direct access to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; the Commission responds promptly to people’s needs; its decisions and recommendations, when carried out by the States, are an effective tool by which the States strengthen their mechanisms to protect and promote human rights; the inter-American conventions in the area of human rights are ratified by all States in the hemisphere and the commitments they undertake therein are fully incorporated into their domestic laws; the specific needs of groups that have historically been the victims of discrimination are taken into account and reflected in the design and implementation of all IACHR activities. I. Presentation The Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights is a unique institution. It was created by the States of the Americas with the widest mandate to promote human rights, and it protects all persons in the continent through its country monitoring and thematic work. It is the only organization at the regional level that receives, processes, and makes findings and recommendations on human rights complaints, presented by any person or group of persons, or any nongovernmental entity legally recognized in one or more member states of the Organization. To fully discharge its mandate of promoting and protecting human rights in the American hemisphere, the Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights (“IACHR”) engages in a constant process of institutional strengthening. In the five‐year period from 2005 to 2010, this process led to the adoption of methods and performance‐based management, a thorough review and amendment of the Commission’s Rules of Procedure and a reorganization of its Executive Secretariat. One of the priorities during this period was to find additional resources, mainly from specific funds provided by Member States of the Organization, permanent observers, and other cooperation institutions within the inter‐ American and international systems, a goal that was achieved to a significant extent but still insufficient to cover the pressing needs posed by the work that the Commission carries out. For the five‐year period 2011‐2015, one of the Commission’s goals is to ensure that it has the resources necessary to perform its functions and strike the best possible balance in the use and coordination of the funds that it receives to carry out its mandate. Accordingly, the Commission has prepared this plan, which is a comprehensive picture of the goals, results and indicators for the next five years. This document sets out an executive‐level vision of the plan created to achieve those ends: Part I is a presentation of the Commission’s mandate and its achievements over the last 50 years; Part II describes the Programs and Plans of Action; and Part III presents the monitoring, evaluation and reporting system, as well as the planning calendar. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [i] II. The IACHR The principal function of the IACHR is to promote the observance and protection of human rights in the Americas. Under Article 106 of the Charter of the Organization of American States, [t]here shall be an Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights, whose principal function shall be to promote the observance and protection of human rights and to serve as a consultative organ of the Organization in these matters. An inter‐American convention on human rights shall determine the structure, competence, and procedure of this Commission, as well as those of other organs responsible for these matters. The Commission performs the following activities: ♦ It advises the Member States and inter‐American bodies and maintains relationships of cooperation and exchange with regional and world bodies whose mission is the promotion and protection of human rights; ♦ It operates the individual petition system that considers petitions and cases of possible human rights violations, brings cases to the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights, requests precautionary measures of protection, and asks for information under Article 41 of the American Convention and Article XIV of the Inter‐American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons; ♦ It conducts activities associated with eight thematic areas (indigenous peoples’ rights; women‘s rights; the rights of migrant workers and their families; the rights of children and adolescents; the rights of persons deprived of their liberty; the rights of Afro‐ descendants; freedom of expression; and human rights defenders), and ♦ It monitors the human rights situation in the OAS Member States. In conducting these activities, the Commission takes action on both individual situations involving human rights violations as well as structural problems affecting millions of people. Its decisions on the imperative of nullifying the effects of laws that grant amnesty for egregious violations of human rights committed by dictatorships and authoritarian governments, its decisions on matters related to elections and freedom of expression, and its recommendations on the participation of women and indigenous peoples, are just some examples of the importance of the voice of the IACHR, which has reverberated in its 50‐year history while monitoring countries under authoritarian regimes, smoothing the transitions to democratic government and helping in the process of consolidating democracy. Through recommendations addressing structural problems that prevent millions of people from fully enjoying and exercising their human rights, the Inter‐American Commission has also played a vital role in preventing human rights violations. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [ii] III. The Challenges the Commission Faces in 2011‐2015 In the 50 years it has been in existence, the IACHR has gradually strengthened the observance of human rights in the Americas. However, it still faces challenges that need to be corrected in the short‐term and have to do with the universality of the inter‐American human rights system (IAHRS), victims’ access to that system, and its efficiency. The ultimate objective of the IACHR is furthering human rights in the American continent. This Strategic Plan, in that context, addresses the issue of the efficiency of the IACHR and the available resources for attaining that objective. The human rights system’s efficiency is a direct function of the availability of sufficient funds to be able to operate to meet its users’ demands. The capacity of the Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights to carry out its broad and diverse mandate depends upon a commitment in terms of assigned financial and human resources to maintain the organization and