IACHR’s 2023 Annual Report Notes Challenges in Protecting Human Rights and Democratic Institutions

April 25, 2024

Washington, D.C. — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has published its 2023 Annual Report, which is a benchmark on the human rights situation in the Americas and a tool for accessing information and achieving institutional transparency. The report reviews the institutional activities that the IACHR has carried out to fulfill its mandate, as well as the main achievements and challenges in the field of human rights in the region.

"The IACHR's Annual Report is a unique document of significant  relevance for the Americas and the Caribbean, as it provides a comprehensive overview of the region's human rights challenges and the actions that different actors have taken and  can take to ensure that people and their fundamental rights are at the center of state agendas." said IACHR President Roberta Clarke.

The Annual Report contains six chapters that present the IACHR’s accomplishments and analyze the human rights situation in the Americas. Chapter I describes the IACHR’s activities during the year. It discusses the start of the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2023-2027, which guides the IACHR’s institutional agenda, and the publication of the first biannual report on the implementation of the plan.

Chapter I also contains information on meetings, resolutions adopted, press releases, the social participation agenda, technical cooperation, and relations with OAS political bodies and other regional and universal human rights bodies. It also covers follow-up on recommendations, such as the implementation of the Joint Mechanism in Colombia and visits to Bolivia, Chile, and Colombia.

Chapter II reports on the work of the petition and case system, through which the IACHR develops legal standards for the protection of human rights in the region. It notes that 88% of the 2,692 petitions received have reached the initial review stage and that 216 admissibility reports and 100 merits reports have been approved, a historic high. In addition, 34 cases were referred to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Following a rigorous participatory study, the IACHR also adopted the Policy for Prioritizing Petitions and Cases. This will help the organization gradually eliminate procedural backlog, thus increasing the impact of the inter-American system and contributing to achieving more timely justice for victims of human rights violations.

Some 19 new friendly settlement agreements were signed, and 32 were approved, the highest number in the history of this mechanism, which allows parties to engage in dialogue and reach agreements on comprehensive reparations for victims. Measures were also implemented in 81 friendly settlement agreements and total compliance was achieved regarding 112 reparation measures.

The IACHR analyzed 92.93% of the 1,133 requests for precautionary measures received and granted and/or extended 52 measures through 51 resolutions. Through the work of this mechanism, it contributed to the protection of more than 13,040 individuals and groups from countries in the region. In the follow-up to the precautionary measures in force, the IACHR guaranteed at least one monitoring action in 100% of the precautionary measures in force in 2023 and carried out four follow-up visits.

In its follow-up on precautionary measures, it adopted 7 follow-up resolutions and held 3 hearings, 62 working sessions, and 107 bilateral meetings with parties. It established the joint working group on precautionary measures for Bruno Araújo, Dom Phillips, and members of UNIVAJA in Brazil. Likewise, 10 requests for provisional measures were submitted to the IA Court with respect to Nicaragua, Haiti, Peru, and Venezuela.

In Chapter III, the IACHR reports on the activities of the thematic and country rapporteurs, as well as promotion and training activities. The chapter covers the working visits to Peru and field visits to Bolivia and Honduras, the preparation of two reports on Nicaragua and Peru, and the publication of 10 thematic reports on pandemics and human rights, labor and trade union rights, human mobility, the rights of the elderly, environmental defenders, indigenous peoples and people of African descent, women deprived of their freedom, and the impact of organized crime on women, children, adolescents, and young people.

It also covers the organization’s 12 working, promotion, and/or cooperation visits. The visits to Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Suriname underscore the IACHR’s efforts to work more closely with the countries of the Caribbean.

During 214 promotional activities and 107 training sessions, 82,959 people received information on the inter-American system and various human rights issues.

In Chapter IV, the IACHR presents the human rights situation in the region. Chapter IV.A describes regional trends, progress, and challenges in the 35 OAS member states. These trends include challenges to democratic institutions and the weakening of the independence of the judiciary, electoral bodies, and national human rights institutions, a context that fosters impunity and leads to a loss of confidence in institutions and democratic rule.

Likewise, the IACHR identified challenges to the exercise of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, the defense of human rights, and political participation. This situation has a direct impact on human rights defenders, who are fundamental to the consolidation of democratic societies.

On the matter of citizen security, the IACHR is concerned about guaranteeing human rights in the face of the militarization of internal security, the abuse of states of emergency, and the relaxation of the use of pretrial detention. These factors have led to a significant increase in the number of people deprived of their liberty.

Chapter IV.A also describes the challenges around access to and guarantees of rights faced by groups in a situation of historical discrimination: indigenous peoples, women, children, and adolescents, people in movement, defenders, persons deprived of their liberty, people of African descent, the LGBTI community, older people, and persons with disabilities. It also covers challenges relating to memory, truth, and justice.

Pursuant to Art. 59.6 of the Rules of Procedure, Chapter IV.B examines the situation in Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, where grave human rights violations are taking place and institutions of representative democracy (as set out in the Democratic Charter) are under threat. Chapter V follows up on the recommendations contained in the reports on Brazil, El Salvador, and Mexico.

Chapter VI concerns the IACHR’s structure, resources, administration, and technological advances. It discusses the launch of the Co-Labora program to strengthen the work environment at the IACHR and the implementation of the GAIA software package to streamline internal processes and improve accessibility to the inter-American system.

The annexes to the Annual Report contain all the IACHR’s reports from the year and also those of the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression (RFOE) and the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA).

“The IACHR’s Annual Report is important because it covers the entire region and looks at the human rights situation of various communities and populations in the Americas. It helps States take concrete measures to guarantee rights, while being an instrument of accountability and institutional transparency,” said Executive Secretary Tania Reneaum Panszi.

The IACHR dedicates its work to the memory of the victims of human rights violations and recognizes the key role that civil society organizations and social movements play. It thanks them and all OAS member States and observers for their work. It also expresses its gratitude to the team at the IACHR’s Executive Secretariat, the RFOE, and REDESCA, whose contributions are key to the effective fulfillment of its mandate.

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. 077/24

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