The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs today announced that the Government of Guyana will be hosting a delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) from November 28 to December 1, 2023.
The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mission is to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere. It is composed of seven independent members who serve in their personal capacities.
The ministry said in a release that the IACHR delegation is visiting Guyana to conduct a ‘technical cooperation and promotional visit’. Such visits are undertaken within the framework of the actions that the IACHR highlighted as priorities when approving its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. These visits, according to the IACHR, aim to provide technical cooperation on institutional matters and public policies with a focus on human rights while also strengthening awareness of state agents and increasing the capacities of State and non-state actors to promote and respect human rights. There is also a component of the visit which will focus on engaging and raising awareness among civil society organizations (CSOs).
In recent months, the IACHR has been reported on here in the context of an application by the north west community of Chinese Landing for protective measures.
According to the release, the ministry, in collaboration with the IACHR, has drawn up a schedule of activities for the visiting delegation, including protocolar meetings, numerous sectoral meetings with critical ministries and statutory agencies, engagements with constitutional bodies with human rights mandates, a panel discussion open to high school and university students, and site visits to a diverse range of development projects. The delegation will also be conducting private meetings with other international and regional partners such as the UN Country Team and CARICOM.
The delegation will comprise Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay (IACHR President), Commissioner Roberta Clarke (IACHR Second Vice-President), Patricia Colchero – (Chief of Staff of the ES/IACHR), Paul Spencer (Senior Advisor, Caribbean Affairs), Wendy Singh (Specialist, Technical
Cooperation and Public Policies), and Ana Paula Suarez (Press and Communications Official).
It was pointed out by the ministry that that in June 2023, Dr. Christopher Arif Bulkan, a Guyanese National, was elected a Commissioner on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for a four-year period, from 2024-2027. The Government of Guyana had nominated Dr Bulkan on the basis of his extensive experience in human rights as an advocate, jurist, academic and policy adviser. He had previously served as an expert member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee during the period 2019-2022, where he authored and co-authored several individual opinions, and in January 2024, will become the first Guyanese to officially take up a seat on the IACHR.
“The Government of Guyana looks forward to welcoming the IACHR delegation to Guyana, and takes this opportunity to express the State’s profound gratitude for the unwavering support of the Organisation of American States, and further reiterates the country’s collective commitment to protecting democracy and fundamental human rights with the goal of improving the lives of every Guyanese”, the release said.
