IACHR Calls for Participation in Public Hearings in the Context of Its 185th Period of Sessions

October 5, 2022

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) invites civil society organizations and States to sign up for one or several of the four public hearings listed below, which are set to be held during the Commission's 185th Period of Sessions.

Registrations open for the following hearings:

1. The ex-officio hearing entitled "Reparations with a gender perspective and a diversity perspective in transitional justice" is set to take place on October 25, at 9:00 a.m. (EST). This hearing seeks to gather information on States' experiences, challenges, and best practices concerning reparations for human rights violations in armed conflict and dictatorship contexts, with a gender perspective and a diversity perspective.
2. The ex-officio hearing entitled "Border policies and protecting the human rights of individuals in human mobility contexts" is set to take place on October 26, at 9:00 a.m. (EST). The IACHR seeks to gather information on the prevailing challenges for the protection of the human rights of individuals in human mobility contexts in transit or border areas, particularly concerning effective access to territories, migration procedures, and procedures to assess needs for international humanitarian protection. The hearing also seeks to establish what restrictive measures remain in place in a post-pandemic context that may affect individuals in human mobility contexts.
3. The ex-officio hearing entitled "The impact of criminalizing legislation that continues to affect LGBTI persons in the Americas" is set to take place on October 28, at 2:00 p.m. (EST). The IACHR seeks to gather up-to-date information on the situation of LGBTI persons who live in the States in the Americas that still have in place laws that criminalize same-sex consensual relationships between adults. The Commission also seeks to establish the impact of this legislation on the broader social inclusion of LGBTI persons and to find out the most recent progress and best practices concerning the decriminalization of gender expression and same-sex consensual relationships.
4. The hearing "Respecting and enforcing human rights in the face of the activities of arms manufacturing and trading firms in the Americas", requested by the State of Mexico, is set to be held on October 25, at 4:00 p.m. (EST). This hearing explicitly targets States and civil society organizations with concrete experience and actions in the fight against the illegal trade in arms. The hearing seeks to gather information on the challenges and best practices concerning the illegal trade in firearms, efforts to regulate it, and attempts to hold arms manufacturers accountable in cases involving human rights violations.

The organizations and States who wish to take part in one or several of the four public hearings listed in this press release will need to register online by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on October 11. In keeping with Article 66 of the IACHR's Rules of Procedure, anyone interested will need to properly identify themselves and explain why they would like to take part in the hearing.

The Inter-American Commission will announce at a later date the list of organizations summoned to take part in the hearings. The IACHR invites the organizations and States who are not summoned to submit, in writing, any documentation or information they deem relevant to the topic of the hearing.

These public hearings will take place on Zoom and will have interpretation services both from Spanish into English and from English into Spanish.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 224/22

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