IACHR

Press Release

IACHR Announces Five Sessions for 2017

February 6, 2017

More on the IACHR

A+ A-

Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announces the dates and locations for five Periods of Sessions it will hold in 2017.

As announced previously, the 161st Ordinary Period of Sessions will take place March 15-22 at IACHR headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Commission has received the requests for hearings and working meetings to be held during this session, pertaining to all member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS). The hearings that are selected will take place on March 17, 20, 21, and 22 and the working meetings on March 18.

The 162nd Extraordinary Period of Sessions will take place May 22-26 in Buenos Aires, at the invitation of the State of Argentina. Hearings will be held on matters involving Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. The online system for submitting requests for hearings and working meetings for the 162nd session will be available from February 15 to March 1.

The 163rd Extraordinary Period of Sessions will take place July 3-7 in Lima, at the invitation of the State of Peru. Hearings will be held on matters involving Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Suriname, and Venezuela. The system for requesting hearings and working meetings for the 163rd session will be open March 13-29.

The 164th Extraordinary Period of Sessions will take place September 4-8 at a place still to be determined; an announcement will be made in due course. Hearings will be held on matters involving Central American, Caribbean, and North American countries. The system for requesting hearings and working meetings for the 164th session will be open April 17-May 3.

The 165th Ordinary Period of Sessions will take place October 23-November 1 in Montevideo, Uruguay, at the invitation of that State. Hearings will be held on matters involving all OAS countries. The system for requesting hearings and working meetings for the 165th session will be open July 12-26.

The IACHR thanks the States of Argentina, Peru, and Uruguay for inviting the Commission to hold sessions in their jurisdictions. This will contribute to building awareness of the inter-American human rights system and will help expand the IACHR’s public presence in the region.

“The fact that the IACHR will hold five sessions in one year is historic,” said the President of the IACHR, Commissioner James Cavallaro. “It speaks to the commitment the IACHR and the host States have to human rights in the hemisphere and to the need for ongoing dialogue and progress toward full respect for human rights,” he added.

For his part, the Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Paulo Abrão, said, “The support of the host States will make it possible to continue building high standards in inter-American human rights and to strengthen the Inter-American Commission’s contribution to making international justice more accessible and more effective.”

A principal, autonomous body of the 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 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. 010/17