Participants selected for the 7th Edition of the International Course on Public Policies in Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the MERCOSUR Institute for Public Policy on Human Rights (IPPDH) announce the list of the 80 people who were selected for the VII edition of the International Course on Public Policy on Human Rights.

The selection was made on the basis of the criteria mentioned in the call for applications, after an exhaustive review of each of the 2061 applications received from 33 States of the Americas, which required a significant effort, given the quantity and quality of the applications.

The selected persons are public sector officials responsible for the design, direction, implementation and evaluation of public policies and members of social organizations and movements, academics from MERCOSUR member states and the Organisation of American States (OAS). The selection criteria also sought to ensure diversity in terms of geographical representation, disciplinary, gender and institutional affiliation, and special consideration was given to the performance of decision-making and/or public policy advocacy functions.

We thank all those who applied for the VII edition of the International Course. The IACHR and the IPPDH consider this number of applications to be a reaffirmation of the region's interest in and commitment to human rights.

The International Course on Public Policy in Human Rights seeks to train relevant actors in the region in the human rights approach to public policy. From a perspective that recognises the progress and challenges in the region, it offers an approach to the experiences and challenges that the implementation of the human rights approach poses for state institutions. This training event will combine theoretical and practical training in the fields of international human rights law, the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights, social sciences, and public administration, with the presentation of practical experiences of high impact for the guarantee of rights implemented in the States of the region in recent years.

This edition of the course will have as a cross-cutting theme the response to critical and emergency contexts, considering that global challenges and emerging crises require a rapid and effective response that protects and promotes human rights. Therefore, this new edition of the course will place special emphasis on the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of human rights public policies in critical and emergency contexts. This decision responds to the need to adapt tools and approaches to current challenges, which range from conflicts and political crises to natural disasters and pandemics.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the OAS, whose mandate derives from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this field. The IACHR is composed 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.

The IPPDH is an intergovernmental body, created in 2009 by Decision of the Common Market Council, with the aim of contributing to democracy and consolidating human rights as a fundamental axis of the identity and development of MERCOSUR, through technical cooperation for the coordination of public policies. Its strategic lines of work are approved by the Meeting of High Authorities on Human Rights (RAADH), made up of the main authorities of the competent institutions in the area of human rights of the States Parties and Associated States of MERCOSUR. Its areas of work are education and training, technical assistance, research and information management, dialogue and participation, and human rights communication and culture.