Antigua, Guatemala – The Rapporteurship on the Rights of Afro-Descendants and against Racial Discrimination of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, welcomes the adoption of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance and the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance, by the OAS General Assembly in Guatemala.
The Rapporteurship, which was part of the OAS Working Group working on bringing these Conventions to fruition, views today's vote by the OAS General Assembly as a historic one and a significant step toward the elimination of racism and all forms of discrimination in the hemisphere, as we work together to bring about justice and equality for all peoples, regardless of race or ethnicity.
The Commission recognizes the delegation of Antigua & Barbuda, under whose leadership the negotiations of the Conventions were successfully concluded.
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 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.
