Two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals have been named as new commissioners of the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) which has also launched a new institutional cycle.
IACHR said that as of January 1, 2024, Gloria Monique de Mees of Suriname and Arif Bulkan of Guyana, as well as Andrea Pochak of Argentina will join the IACHR as commissioners, while Commissioner Stuardo Ralón will remain on the job.
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All four of them were elected during the 53rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) with mandates lasting from January 2024 until December 2027.
Commissioners Roberta Clarke of Barbados, Carlos Bernal, and José Luis Caballero are set to pursue their terms further.
On December 31, 2023, Commissioners Margarette May Macaulay of Jamaica, Esmeralda Arosemena, and Julissa Mantilla completed their terms.
“The three of them did exceptional work over various periods as presidents and members of the Board of Directors of the IACHR, as well as in the commission’s different thematic and country rapporteurships,” the IACHR said in its statement.
“The IACHR and the staff at its Executive Secretariat thank Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay, who served two terms as president of the IACHR, for her dedication and leadership, particularly in defense of the rights of Afro-descendant persons and older persons in the Americas and to promote the Inter-American Human Rights System in Caribbean countries,” it added.
According to Articles 3 and 9 of the Commission’s Rules of Procedure, a new Board of Directors is set to be appointed in the first session of the IACHR’s next period of sessions, scheduled for February 26, 2024.
The IACHR, which has a mandate to promote respect for and defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area, said until then, the board will be made up of Commissioner Roberta Clarke as acting president, after serving as second vice president until December 31, with Commissioners Stuardo Ralón and Carlos Bernal set to serve respectively as first and second vice president based on their seniority.
“Thematic and country rapporteurships will be led by the board until January 12, when new rapporteurs are to be appointed, said the IACHR, which is a principal, autonomous body of the OAS and derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. CMC
