Tania Reneaum Panszi starts second term as Executive Secretary of the IACHR

June 4, 2025

Washington, DC—Tania Reneaum Panszi started her second term as Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on June 1, with a four-year mandate that is set to expire on May 31, 2029. She is the second woman in this position and the first that has been reelected for a second term of her mandate.

Reneaum Panszi's reelection was based on recognition of her outstanding work during a first term where she evidenced substantial improvements, solid leadership and effective management. In her first four years in office, she achieved concrete results that improved the IACHR's institutional stability and ensured continuity for the Commission's work to promote and defend human rights in the Americas.

During Reneaum Panszi's first term, the IACHR's Strategic Plan 2017–2021 was approved, as the outcome of a broad participatory process that brought together IACHR staff and representatives of both States and civil society. Over the past four years, the IACHR also adopted a case prioritization policy that enabled it to reduce procedural backlog and to attain record levels in the number of merits reports that were adopted and completed and in the number of friendly settlement agreements that were signed. Precautionary measures adopted over this period also helped to protect thousands of individuals belonging to vulnerable groups.

One of the key milestones of Reneaum Panszi's first term in office involved implementing the GAIA system, which has significantly improved transparency, efficiency, and timing concerning petitions, cases, and precautionary measures.

Externally, Reneaum Panszi has sought to strengthen the IACHR's mandate through country visits, improved dialogue with key stakeholders, and increased technical support for Member States, as well as the development of training platforms to foster knowledge and action in the context of the inter-American human rights system and to promote the inter-American human rights system's applicability within Member States of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Institutionally, Reneaum Panszi enabled the launch of Co-Labora, an initiative that seeks to promote an organizational culture that is based on respect, acknowledgment of efforts, and a commitment to effective and efficient management. Through this program, the IACHR has stressed its commitment to transparency, accountability, and normative integrity.

The proposal to renew Reneaum Panszi's mandate was approved by the IACHR in keeping with Article 11.3 of its Rules of Procedure. Later, her nomination was submitted to OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, who appointed her for a second term in keeping with Article 21 of the IACHR Statute.

The IACHR is confident that a second term in office will enable Reneaum Panszi to consolidate her achievements to date and to address further challenges in compliance with her institutional mandate.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

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