IIHR in the Americas Bi-monthly newsletter of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights No. 205 – January 2012

Content:

• IIHR closes regional consultation on democracy and human rights from perspective of poverty and inequality. San José, . • IIHR at commemoration of Salvadoran peace accords. San Salvador and El Mozote, Morazán, El Salvador. • Visit to police investigation school. Santiago de . • Central American meeting on citizen security. Alajuela, Costa Rica. • 2nd edition of vacation training for university students. Montevideo, Uruguay. • IIHR Board of Directors meets. San José, Costa Rica. • Agreement signed with ODECO. La Ceiba, . • OAS Permanent Council adopts document on IAHRS. Washington, D.C., . • Tribute to Luis Pérez Aguirre. Montevideo, Uruguay. • Preparation for training of foreign affairs officials. Montevideo, Uruguay. • Consultation on use of CEDAW. San José, Costa Rica. • 2nd meeting of advisory council for “Development and Promotion of Human Security Concept in Latin America” project. San José, Costa Rica. • Special visit from Norwegian Ambassador to Central America. San José, Costa Rica. • Latin American conference on human security and regional integration agendas. San José, Costa Rica. • IIHR Revista call for articles. San José, Costa Rica. • 1st Brazilian Interdisciplinary Course on Human Rights. Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. ********************************************************************** IIHR closes regional consultation on democracy and human rights from perspective of poverty and inequality

San José, Costa Rica. A regional consultation on the re-conceptualization of democracy and human rights from the perspective of extreme poverty and inequality was the focus of the IIHR’s 2007-2010 Strategic Framework. In this context, an event was held to examine the effectiveness and implementation of human rights and democracy from this point of view, in order to contribute to shaping the future agenda of the inter-American human rights system (ISHR); it was aimed primarily at enhancing the human rights of individuals and communities in extreme poverty and social inequality through public policy. In this regard, Pedro Nikken, IIHR Permanent Advisor and President of the International Commission of Jurists, said at the close of the last consultation (Bogotá, November 17, 2011) that inequality and poverty are now the greatest affront to democracies in our region and no matter the style and mode of democracy, it is devalued and rendered less effective by extreme poverty, which also undermined its intrinsic values. Based on the results obtained in each region, the IIHR has shown that inequality and exclusion from the benefits of democracy are reflected in the ineffective functioning of institutions meant to protect and promote the rights of citizens. Notwithstanding the extensive analyses and measurements of democracy, participants proposed an analysis on what preventa the effective development and implementation of rights of communities living in poverty. Why not try, from the perspective of the rights of communities living in extreme poverty, to rethink fair rules for coexistence?, they said in a consultation that took place in San Salvador in February 2011. Recommendations coming out of the process will not be reduced to the social dimension of poverty. They will, instead, comprehend the vital issues relating to the dignity and freedom of individuals and communities that do not have access to justice and the participation of excluded communities in democracy. In the IIHR's view, it is also an urgent and thorough critical evaluation of democracy and existing instruments from the perspective of human rights, inequality and poverty, which provide the basis for attention and reflection. In this sense, for the IIHR’s Director, the consultation was a stark analysis and evaluation of democracy from the current problems. Furthermore, the regional systematization – led by teachers Caetano and Gravano – will identify specific factors that prevent citizens living in poverty from benefiting from the human right to dignity to which they are entitled. We do not have to continue to impose unfair rules on the rights of the poor, who are only interested in the minimum rules of existence and respect for human dignity in the Americas, said Cuéllar. The consultation process began in Nairobi (November 2010), continued in San Salvador (February 2011) and culminated in Bogota (November 2011) with the participation of the most recognized organizations working to defend the rights of the most excluded and vulnerable segments of society. Each meeting explored the prevailing perception among organizations and relevant stakeholders on political governance, changes in the citizenry, new democracies and the relationship of these variables to the rights of people living in poverty. This process dared to examine the historical reality of democracy in the Americas based on the actual situation of the rights of individuals and communities disadvantaged within democratic systems and, radically, the rights of women living in extreme poverty. Thus, the consultation, which has been central to institutional rethinking, supported a rare approach to serious regional problems. Since January 15, teachers Gerardo Caetano (Uruguayan) and Ariel Gravano (Argentinean) have been systematizing the results collected in this space for discussion and reflection. They will be released during the 30th IIHR Interdisciplinary Course on Human Rights to be held from September 3-14 and, preliminarily, at the 1st Interdisciplinary Course for Brazil, to be held in June. This course is being organized with the Brazilian Institute for Human Rights and will be led by Professor César Barros Leal, the State Attorney for Fortaleza, academic and IIHR Board member. Read more online: “Human rights from the perspective of poverty” strategic framework ********************************************************************** IIHR at commemoration of Salvadoran peace accords

San Salvador and El Mozote, Morazán, El Salvador. From January 11-16, Roberto Cuéllar M. and Pedro Nikken, Executive Director and Permanent Advisor, respectively, were in El Salvador to attend commemorative events marking the twentieth anniversary of the peace accord. Nikken participated as a special guest as a result of the role he played in finding a solution to the Salvadoran conflict. He was a legal advisor to the UN (1990- 1992), special UN representative advising on human rights (1993-1995) and driver of the agreement that created the Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL), adopted in July 26, 1990. Nikken also participated as a special guest at the presidential ceremony in El Mozote, Morazán, in remembrance of the more than 400 murdered on December 11, 1981. In this case, which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will soon consider, the Legal Aid Office of the Archbishop of San Salvador has identified 406 victims, but there are indications that the death toll could be higher. For his part, Cuéllar met with the Vice-President and several national authorities. During these meetings, he recalled the role that the IIHR played in the Salvadoran peace process, as well as the significant participation of Professor Thomas Buergenthal, Honorary IIHR President, on the UN Truth Commission. Read more online: ONUSAL Report from the Truth Commission Peace accords Funes requests pardon and to investigate war crimes ********************************************************************** Visit to police investigation school

Santiago de Chile. On January 16, in order to move forward with agreements of cooperation between the IIHR and Investigative Police of Chile (PDI), the Coordinator of the IIHR Regional Office for South America, Soledad García Muñoz, visited the Chilean School for Police Investigation (Escuela de Investigaciones Policiales-ESCIPOL). She met with Marcela Avilés and other ESCIPOL officials, with whom she discussed the diploma program on citizen security, human rights and policing that will soon be offered. Read more online: ESCIPOL – Chilean School for Police Investigation ********************************************************************** Central American meeting on citizen security

Alajuela, Costa Rica. On January 18, the INCAE Business School held its 1st Central American Multi-sectoral Meeting on Citizen Security, on the Walter Kissling Gam campus. The event was sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, United States Embassy in Costa Rica and the World Bank. Its objective was to explore the value and viability of a permanent forum for analysis, discussion and reflection on security problems in the region, so that proposals and local strategies to improve regional security outcomes can be developed in a multidisciplinary fashion with multi-sectoral support. As part of this process, participants, who included specialists on the different causes of homicide in the region, explored how to reduce murders by 50% in the next five to ten years. Juan Navarrete, Deputy Director for Central America, attended this inter-sectoral and multidisciplinary meeting on behalf of the IIHR. ********************************************************************** 2nd edition of vacation training for university students

Montevideo, Uruguay. The 2nd edition of Vacation Training for university students from Brazil took place on January 19, presided over by John Biehl del Río, OAS Representative in Uruguay. Paola Bertucci, representative of the IIHR Regional Office for South America spoke on IIHR activities and announced that the 1st Interdisciplinary Course in Human Rights for Brazil will be held in Fortaleza, Ceará in June. This event was organized by Young Americas Business Trust (YABT-OEA) and was held in the office of the regional organization, located in the MERCOSUR building. ********************************************************************** IIHR Board of Directors meets

San José, Costa Rica. A meeting of the IIHR Board of Directors was held on January 24. Participants included the IIHR President, Sonia Picado, who led the discussion; and via teleconference, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, First Vice-president; Margaret Crahan, Second Vice- president; and María Elena Martínez and César Barros Leal, directors. Also present was Roberto Cuéllar M., Executive Director, who was joined by Victoria Napky and José Thompson, deputy directors. ********************************************************************** Agreement signed with ODECO

La Ceiba, Honduras. On January 24 and 25, as part of the 1st meeting of the International Coordinating Committee for the World Afro-descendant Summit, the IIHR Executive Director participated in the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of ODECO. ODECO was founded in La Ceiba on January 25, 1992 to defend the rights of individuals and communities of African descent mainly in Honduras. Its president, Celeo Alvarez Casildo, highlighted the organization’s remarkable history of working for human rights and combating racial discrimination in the region and in Honduras. For his part, the IIHR Executive Director recalled that human rights system operates on the basic principle of equality, which if refused by any form of discrimination negates the democratic system in full. The occasion provided ODECO and the IIHR the opportunity to sign a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening the School for Afro-descendant Leadership Training in Human Rights, established in 2006, and encouraging the protection and promotion of Afro- Honduran rights. Among the more than 300 people who attended the ODECO anniversary celebration were representatives from the Honduran government, regional black organizations, civil society organizations, the Danish development agency and local Garifuna communities. Read more online: ODECO Executive Director’s address at anniversary celebration ********************************************************************** OAS Permanent Council adopts document on IAHRS

Washington, D.C., United States. On January 25, the OAS Permanent Council, a body composed of representatives from each Member State, unanimously adopted the Report from the Special Working Group to Reflect on the Workings of the IACHR with a view to Strengthening the IAHRS. Given the relevance of the recommendations in this Report to the future of the IAHRS and, principally, the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, the IIHR has proposed a series of consultations with the bodies of the system (IACHR and Inter-American Court), States, civil society and development organizations, to analyze the consequences and opportunities for pursuing this regional process. Review documentation in the OAS calendar, at http://www.apps.oas.org/oasmeetings/default.aspx?Lang=EN ********************************************************************** Tribute to Luis Pérez Aguirre

Montevideo, Uruguay. On January 25, the Coordinator of the IIHR Regional Office for South America, Soledad García Muñoz, participated in a tribute to Uruguayan priest Luis “Perico” Pérez Aguirre, an event organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Network of Friends of Luis Pérez Aguirre. The event took place at the Obelisk of Constituents in the presence of friends and prominent figures from the political and social life of the country, such as: Ricardo Ehrlich, Minister of Education and Culture; Undersecretary María Simón; children of the “Footprint” Home; former lawmaker Matilde Rodríguez de Gutiérrez Ruiz; and former Vice-Chancellor Belela Herrera. The latter were responsible for leading a presentation on the most important moments of Pérez Aguirre’s life. Luis Pérez Aguirre, a former IIHR collaborator, was a Jesuit priest and defender and promoter of human rights until his death in an accident. Born in Montevideo in April 1941, he was also an aviator, mountaineer, psychologist, teacher, and humanities graduate who entered into the priesthood in the early sixties. He was noted for his work on behalf of women in prostitution in Montevideo and with “Footprint”, a farmhouse in Las Piedras. After the 1973 coup, he was persecuted, tortured and imprisoned. In 1981 he joined others in founding the Uruguayan section of the Peace and Justice Service (SERPAJ). With the return of democracy to Uruguay, he assumed coordination of SERPAJ for Latin America. Visit the photo gallery: http://www.presidencia.gub.uy/wps/wcm/connect/presidencia/portalpresidencia/sala-de- medios/fotografias/homenaje-perico-perez-aguirre#!prettyPhoto ********************************************************************** Preparation for training of foreign affairs officials

Montevideo, Uruguay. On January 27, at the invitation of John Biehl, OAS Representative in Uruguay, the Coordinator of the IIHR Regional Office for South America, Soledad García Muñoz, attended a meeting with Ambassador Federico Perazza, Director of Human Rights and Humanitarian within the Foreign Ministry. Held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting focused on preparation for state official training on combating human trafficking. Training activities are being organized by the OAS and the Ministry and will take place in March. Later, García Muñoz traveled to San José, Costa Rica, where she took part in the “Latin American Conference on Human Security and the Regional Integration Agenda”. She used her visit to schedule multiple meetings on monitoring projects and activities being coordinated from Montevideo. ********************************************************************** Consultation on use of CEDAW

San José, Costa Rica. A Central American consultation was held on January 29 and 30 to discuss use of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Various regional organizations took part, including the Collective for Free Choice (Mulabi), the Women's Political Agenda, CEMUJER, Catholics for a Free Choice, International Women’s Rights Action Watch–Asia Pacific (IWRAW-AP), the Inter- American Institute of Human Rights and the Justice and Gender Foundation. The last two organizations will act as a link between IWRAW-AP and Latin America. The purpose of this meeting was to assess training experiences of IWRAW-AP with CEDAW-related meetings and the implementation of appropriate advocacy strategies. Participants reported that they have used CEDAW in domestic situations, both in everyday litigation as well as actions with a broader impact, and that it has been taken up on the activism agenda. Furthermore, CEDAW and, more recently, its Optional Protocol have been important factors in obtaining funding for social projects in which women's rights are a priority. In this regard, it was also mentioned that the IIHR joined regional efforts to support ratification in all countries of the region and has also engaged in outreach and education on the basis of substantive equality in the CEDAW and Belém do Pará agreements. In reference to trends, thanks to the IWRAW-AP training process, knowledge of CEDAW and the Committee's operations has been improved. Meanwhile, the MULABI Collective and Agenda has participated in the process of mentoring and drafting shadow reports, from which we have identified a common agenda to request recommendations from the CEDAW Committee, as well as to influence state decision-making bodies in order to pass beyond formal equality. As various forms of violence against women take hold and the decline in implementation of the Convention can be noted, other challenges include: the formal secularism and conservatorship of States; non-compliance with international state obligations; the need to improve dissemination strategies and monitoring; the institutionalization of CEDAW; broader strategies for the litigation of disputes before the CEDAW Committee; and improvement of civil society observation and empowerment of networks. Read more online: International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific Justice and Gender Foundation Dissemination of CEDAW recommendations key challenge for Latin America Visit the photo gallery: http://www.iidh.ed.cr ********************************************************************** 2nd meeting of advisory council for “Development and Promotion of Human Security Concept in Latin America” project

San José, Costa Rica. The 2nd meeting of the Advisory Council for the UNDP/IIHR “Development and Promotion of the Human Security Concept in Latin America” was held in the Inter-American Human Rights Classroom on January 30. The meeting offered a chance to evaluate the 2011 project and approve the 2012 work plan. Among other things, significant progress was made in 2011 toward disseminating the human security approach. This was achieved through the collection and study of major initiatives that have been operationalized in the region over the past fifteen years. For 2012, the decision was taken to emphasize training on the human security approach, including the development of a methodology and virtual/on-site courses that can have a regional and national impact and become tools available to civil society. Taking part in their capacity as members of the Advisory Council were Sonia Picado, IIHR President; Luiza Carvalho, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Costa Rica; Line Bareiro, CEDAW Committee Expert and IIHR General Assembly member, as is Wendy Singh; and Eduardo Stein, former Vice-president of Guatemala; François Fouinat, member of the UN Advisory Board on Human Security; and, Roberto Cuéllar M., IIHR Executive Director. Also present was UNDP/IIHR Project Director José Thompson, as well as coordinator Paula Antezana and Gabriela Mata, UNDP official. Visit Human Security ********************************************************************** Special visit from Norwegian Ambassador to Central America

San José, Costa Rica. On January 31, the Norwegian Ambassador to Central America, Lars Ole Vaagen, and his wife, Julia Vaagen, visited the IIHR to reaffirm the development support of their country for educational plans that are being pursued in Latin America and the Caribbean through the Inter-American Agreement on Human Rights Education. Since 2002, Norway has supported the preparation of the HRE curricular framework, the system of HRE reports and the special training of officials in this area. The Ambassador took this opportunity to outline the contribution of the people and government of Norway for the Inter-American HRE Consultation, which will place special emphasis on schools in high-risk zones and those related to indigenous rights. During his visit to Costa Rica, from January 26-31, Ambassador Vaagen also met with the President, government officials, the Inter-American Court and CEJIL. ********************************************************************** Latin American conference on human security and regional integration agendas

San José, Costa Rica. The Latin American Conference on Human Security and the Regional Integration Agenda was held on January 31, in order to review the “Human security and regional integration agendas” study that was conducted by consultant Claudia Fuentes, as part of the joint UNDP/IIHR “Development and Promotion of the Human Security Concept in Latin America.” They also discussed the utility of the human security approach in strengthening multilateral mechanisms for regional integration. Sir Richard Jolly, Honorary Professor and Research Associate with the Institute of Development Studies in Sussex (UK) and co-Director of the United Nations Intellectual History Project, delivered a keynote presentation on the human security approach and its usefulness in addressing today’s challenges. Also participating on behalf of the OAS were Adam Blackwell (Secretariat for Multidimensional Security) and Henry Jova (representative in Costa Rica), in addition to Adolfo Lopez (Andean Community); Andrea Pochak (MERCOSUR); Bruno Moro (resident coordinator of United Nations System in Colombia), along with representatives from CLADEM, the Afro-descendent Network, the Brazilian human rights organization CONECTAS, among others. During the meeting, participants thoroughly discussed the advantages and limitations of the human security approach, which has been used in integration efforts in the region, such as multidimensionality, the centrality of people, integrity, etc. However, they also recognized the limitations in operationalizing this approach, which include, for example, the overlap with “traditional” approaches to security, as those only serve the interests of the State. The point was also made that threat recognition is still weak, since it doesn’t incorporate inequality and inequity as some of the most important risks to safety from the perspective of individuals. Visit Human Security ********************************************************************** IIHR Revista call for articles

San José, Costa Rica. From February 1 to April 1, 2012 at midnight (Costa Rica time), the IIHR is accepting article submissions for its journal, IIHR Revista. The IIHR Revista publishes original articles in the fields of law and social sciences, as a means of developing and placing emphasis on human rights issues. Each issue of this semi- annual academic publication renews interest in the discussion of issues relevant to the human rights community. Through the magazine, the IIHR wants to continue exploring and evaluating new ways to meet challenges in the current regional and international context, while pointing to a deeper understanding of historical and current elements in the human rights landscape of the Americas and the globalized world. Articles should be submitted to the Editorial Committee of the IIHR Revista and be no longer than 45 pages, double-spaced on letter-size paper, Times New Roman 12 point. For more information, please write to Marialyna Villafranca ([email protected]) ********************************************************************** 1st Brazilian Interdisciplinary Course on Human Rights

The IIHR is pleased to announce that registration has opened for the “1st Brazilian Interdisciplinary Course on Human Rights: Human Rights from the Perspective of Poverty”, which will be held in collaboration with the Brazilian Institute of Human Rights in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, from June 18-29. The Course will focus on the study of human rights from the perspective of poverty, a widespread phenomenon in the region and a challenge for the inter-American human rights system. For more information and to access the registration form, visit the Brazilian Institute of Human Rights website at: www.ibdh.org.br See the poster here ********************************************************************** Information and Documentation Center The information contained in this Newsletter may be used, provided the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights is credited as its source. All previous issues of IIHR in the Americas and the IIHR Newsletter are available in our digital archive, which may be accessed at the Press Room section of the IIHR Web site (http://www.iidh.ed.cr/).

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