IACHR

Press Release

IACHR Elects New Board and Reassigns Rapporteurships

March 16, 2017

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Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) elected its new board. The board of officers is composed of Francisco Eguiguren Praeli as President, Margarette May Macaulay as First Vice-President, and Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño as Second Vice-President. The election was held, in accordance with the IACHR rules of procedure, at the beginning of the Commission’s first Period of Sessions of the year. The other members of the IACHR are James Cavallaro, José de Jesús Orozco Henriquez, and Paulo Vannuchi. The Executive Secretary is Paulo Abrão and the Assistant Executive Secretary is Elizabeth Abi-Mershed.

In addition, the IACHR distributed the Rapporteurships that were in charge of ex-Commissioner Enrique Gil Botero, who presented his resignation to the IACHR on March 9, 2017, after being appointed Minister of Justice of Colombia. Commissioner James Cavallaro will take over the Rapporteurships for Barbados and Guatemala, Commissioner Paulo Vannuchi will take over the Rapporteurship for Chile, and Commissioner Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño will take over the Rapporteurship for Mexico. For her part, Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay will take over the Rapporteurship on the Rights of Migrants.

In addition, the Commission decided two additional changes. Commissioner James Cavallaro will be the Rapporteur for Brazil and Commissioner José de Jesús Orozco for Dominican Republic. Regarding the Working Group to examine the progress reports of the States Parties to the Protocol of San Salvador on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the IACHR designated Commissioners Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño as a member and Paulo Vannuchi as alternate member.

The new President of the IACHR, Francisco José Eguiguren Praeli, is citizen of Peru. He was elected on June 16, 2015, by the OAS General Assembly, for a 4-year mandate that started on January 1, 2016 and ends December 31, 2019. He has a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, with a master's degree in Constitutional Law and a PhD in Humanities. He was Ambassador of Peru to the Kingdom of Spain from 2012 to 2014 and Minister of the Office of Justice and Human Rights. He is currently a legal consultant and adviser at both the national and international level, specializing in issues related to Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and Human Rights.

The new First Vicepresident of the Commission, Margarette May Macaulay, is citizen of Jamaica. She was elected on June 16, 2015, by the OAS General Assembly, for a 4-year mandate that started on January 1, 2016 and ends December 31, 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London and is currently an attorney in private practice. She serves as Mediator in the Supreme Court of Jamaica and an Associate Arbitrator, as well as serving as a Notary Public. She served as a Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from 2007 to 2012, contributing to the formulation of the Court’s Rules of Procedure.

The new Second Vice'President of the IACHR, Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño, is citizen of Panama. She was elected on June 16, 2015, by the OAS General Assembly, for a 4-year mandate that started on January 1, 2016 and ends December 31, 2019. She has a degree in Philosophy, Letters, and Education, as well as in Law and Political Science, sigma cum laude. She joined the Special Commission for the 2011-2012 Constitutional Reforms in Panama and was Magistrate of the Supreme Court from 2004 to 2009. She currently puts together teams of trainers in the Accusatory Criminal System for the Public Prosecutor’s Office and at the inter-institutional level.

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. 034/17