IACHR Announces Technical Cooperation with the State of Bolivia

April 15, 2024

Washington, D.C. - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has announced a process of technical cooperation with the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia regarding the pre-selection of candidates for the country's courts and the Judicial Council.

The cooperation process includes drafting and presenting a document systematizing the inter-American standards that relate to the judiciary and a technical note on the merit criteria for evaluating candidates. This will be the subject of a dialogue with the country rapporteur, Commissioner José Luis Caballero, who will visit Bolivia to present the country report resulting from the on-site visit carried out in 2023 and which was published in 2024, focusing on the recommendations for the judiciary that it contains. To this end, he will meet with representatives of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and judicial authorities.

In the country report, the IACHR pointed out that the selection processes for members of the judiciary must be public, participative, and transparent, as these qualities help strengthen certainty regarding the integrity, qualifications, and suitability of those chosen for the roles, building public confidence in the objectivity of the process. It also called on the State to ensure that the appointment and selection process, including the pre-selection stage, are not perceived by citizens as depending on political factors, as this would undermine citizens' belief in the independence of the process. In this way, the technical cooperation that will start will contribute to the incorporation of the recommendations made by the IACHR in the country report.

The Strategic Plan 2023–2027 promotes a positive agenda for working with countries in the region, including through cooperation and assistance to promote the incorporation of Inter-American standards in local legislation and collaboration to comply with international obligations and the recommendations of the Inter-American Human Rights System.

In addition to its cooperation functions, the IACHR will continue to use the various mechanisms at its disposal. Among other things, this includes maintaining an open dialogue with key stakeholders in public administration and civil society to learn about the challenges to the ongoing process of electing the Supreme Court of Justice and the progress that has been made.

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. 073/24

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