The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, established in 1959, is one of the two principal and autonomous organs of the Organization of American States whose mission is to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere.

"The Commission performs this function by making visits to the countries, carrying out thematic activities and initiatives, preparing reports on the human rights situation in a certain country or on a particular thematic issue, adopting precautionary measures or requesting provisional measures before the Inter-American Court, and processing and analyzing individual petitions with a view to determining the international responsibility of the States for human rights violations, and issuing the recommendations it deems necessary. The individual petitions that the Commission examines may be submitted by individuals, groups of individuals, or organizations that allege violations of the human rights guaranteed in the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man (“the American Declaration”), the American Convention on Human Rights (“the American Convention”), and other inter-American Human Rights Treaties."[1]

Since 2011, the Organization of American States has been involved in an ongoing reform process that is meant to strengthen the efficacy of the IACHR. See links included in the Strengthening the IACHR box to the right.

Mandate and Functions of the Commission

Individual Petition System Portal

Petition and case system: Present a Petition

Members

Sessions

Since 2011, the Organization of American States has been involved in an ongoing reform process meant to strengthen the efficacy of the IACHR.

IACHR Approves Reform of its Rules of Procedure, Policies and Practices (March 19, 2013)

Process for Strengthening the IACHR: Methodology

Permanent Council of the OAS. Special Working Group to Reflect on the Workings of the IACHR with a View to Strengthening the IAHRS (8/19/2016)

Strengthening Process of the Inter-American System of Human Rights (The Human Rights Brief, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, November 4, 2012)

Reform Process 2012

Reform Process 2013

Videos of IACHR sessions