IACHR and IPPDH complete 7th edition of their International Course on Public Human Rights Policies

December 9, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The seventh edition of the International Course on Public Human Rights Policies—jointly sponsored by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and MERCOSUR's Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH)—has been completed.

This edition of the course was attended by 80 individuals selected among more than 2,000 applicants. Participants included government officials in charge of designing, directing, implementing, and evaluating public policies, as well as representatives of civil society organizations and social movements, and academics from Member States of MERCOSUR and the Organization of American States (OAS). Participants submitted final assignments with hypothetical public policy proposals with a human rights perspective.

The first stage of the course took place between July and October 2024 and included an optional workshop to specialize in the inter-American human rights system. Later, over the period December 2–6, 2024, a mandatory in-person week was held at the IPPDH headquarters in Buenos Aires, in the facilities of the Space for Memory and Human Rights (the former ESMA illegal detention facility), with participants from 26 countries in the Americas.

The in-person week was launched with a roundtable discussion that brought together IPPDH Executive Director Andressa Caldas; the coordinator of the IACHR's Public Policy and Technical Cooperation Section, Norma Colledani; Uruguay's Human Rights Secretary Sandra Etcheverry (whose country holds MERCOSUR's rotating presidency); and Remo Carlotto, Paulo Abrao, and Juan Miguel González Bibolini, all of them members of the Advisory Council of the IPPDH's International School.

Further, two virtual public exchanges were held on December 2—a panel discussion on public policies in critical and emergency contexts and a roundtable discussion on human mobility and Advisory Opinion 21/14 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. These events were supplemented with theory and practice sessions with experts in public policy evaluation, in indicator systems, and in the specific principles of a rights-based approach to policy. There was also a panel discussion on participation in public policies that brought activists and representatives of civil society organizations together with course participants.

Both the panel discussion and the roundtable discussion were broadcast on YouTube and are available here:

Panel discussion on critical and emergency contexts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd1qLM_Y6Iw

Roundtable discussion on human mobility and Advisory Opinion 21/14 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVdKPvmqmZM

The International Course on Public Human Rights Policies seeks to train relevant actors from all over the Americas to integrate a human rights approach into public policy. The dynamics of this exchange among participants from public sectors, academia, and civil society enables a platform to academically reflect on challenges, hurdles, resources, and opportunities related to the task of strengthening public institutions and policies with a human rights perspective.

This course was first held by the IPPDH in 2016. The IPPDH has collaborated with the IACHR in the last five editions of the course.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the OAS whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

The IPPDH is an intergovernmental organization that was created by MERCOSUR's Common Market Council in 2009. Its mission is to support democracy and to consolidate human rights as the essential pillar of the bloc's identity and development, enabling technical cooperation to coordinate public policies. Its strategic guidelines are approved by MERCOSUR's Meeting of High Authorities on Human Rights (RAADH, by its Spanish acronym), which brings together the highest officials of human rights institutions in MERCOSUR States Parties and Associated States. It focuses on providing technical assistance, training, and research and information management, promoting dialogue and participation, and enabling communication and culture concerning human rights within MERCOSUR.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up 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.

No. 312/24

7:35 PM