IACHR completes promotional activities about friendly settlements in Guatemala

November 12, 2025

Washington, DC—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) conducted a series of promotional activities in Guatemala over the period November 3–5, 2025, in the context of a drive to expand the friendly settlement mechanism. The IACHR thanks the State of Guatemala for its support, and also thanks everyone who took part in various training sessions for their commitment.

On November 4, Commissioner Andrea Pochak, the IACHR’s Rapporteur for Guatemala, held a high-level meeting with authorities involved in efforts to reach agreements and to implement friendly settlements. The meeting sought to improve dialogue and technical cooperation, encourage the use of friendly settlement procedures in the country, and promote a swifter, better-coordinated management aimed at achieving results in favor of victims of human rights violations.

Commissioner Pochak stressed the IACHR’s commitment to supporting the State in efforts to strengthen the use of friendly settlements, in keeping with Resolution 3/20, and to develop a modern, sustainable reparations policy focused on victims.

Technical staff at the IACHR’s Executive Secretariat conducted two training workshops—one for civil society organizations and the other for State officials.

The Third Civil Society Training Workshop, held on November 4, brought together organizations who are users of the friendly settlement mechanism, to deepen their understanding of various procedural and practical aspects and to conduct a negotiation role-play focused on victims’ crucial active participation.

The Fourth Training Workshop for State Officials, held on November 5, included theoretical and practical sessions about the normative framework of the friendly settlement mechanism, the role of State institutions and of the IACHR, and various methodological tools to manage petitions and cases in the friendly settlement mechanism.

The IACHR thanks the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights for its cooperation and logistics support to conduct these activities and appreciates the commitment that Guatemalan authorities and civil society organizations showed to the friendly settlement mechanism. The IACHR also stresses its willingness to continue to provide technical support for an effective implementation of these kinds of agreements in favor of victims of human rights violations.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 227/25

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