Media Center

Press Release

Bolivia Signs Inter-American Conventions against Racism and against Discrimination and Intolerance

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, today signed on behalf of his government and in the presence of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Intolerance and the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance, instruments adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS held in Antigua, Guatemala in June 2013.

At the signing event, Secretary General Insulza said that "we are proud to know that the OAS has one of the richest bodies of law in the world, with over 200 treaties and over 6,000 bilateral cooperation agreements." He added that "these are tools being used every day by our citizens, and among them, are the two most recent Conventions in the Inter-American System."

The leader of the hemispheric Organization highlighted the importance of the instruments signed as "they constitute human rights instruments that recognize the inherent dignity and equality of human beings and seek to prevent, eliminate, prohibit and punish acts and manifestations of racism, discrimination and intolerance, both in the public and private life." Insulza said that unfortunately the Hemisphere continues to witness hate crimes committed on discriminatory grounds such as race, color, ancestry or national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation, among others, which makes the existence and implementation of the Conventions signed today by Bolivia essential. These instruments, he added, "improve the notions enshrined in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, consolidating for the Americas the principles for effective legal equality and non-discrimination."

The Secretary General highlighted the efforts made by the Government of Bolivia to consolidate the principles of equality and non-discrimination, "which are due in large measure to the process of transformation that the country has experienced in recent years." In this regard, he applauded the existence of a Vice Ministry of Decolonization and a Directorate General for the fight against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination as well as the design of the National Action Plan against Racism and All Forms of Discrimination 2012-2015, and several specific legal provisions the country has in this area.

In that context, he insisted that, with the signing of the two conventions, Bolivia joins the list of nine States Parties to the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Related Intolerance: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama and Uruguay. In the case of the Inter-American Convention against All Forms of Discrimination and Intolerance it becomes the eighth signatory State along with Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama and Uruguay. The entry into force of each of these legally binding instruments requires the deposit of instruments of ratification or accession by the States. To date, no state has ratified them.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-075/15