Canada and the Inter-American System for Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities for Engagement

As a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), Canada is part of the Inter-American system for the protection of human rights. This regional system is comprised of two principal organs: the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), responsible for monitoring and ensuring the implementation of human rights across all thirty-five OAS member states, as well as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). Although Canada has not accepted the jurisdiction of the international Inter-American Court, this presentation will explore the significance of Canada’s engagement in the Inter-American system in strengthening a national and regional discourse on human rights. This presentation will provide an overview of the regional human rights system, underscore innovative reparations awarded to individuals by the Inter-American Court, and delineate the process for individuals and non-governmental organizations in Canada to submit petitions to the Commission when they believe protected human rights have been violated.

Speaker:

Andrea Salguero is the Director of Public Affairs for the Bahá’í Community of Canada. Prior to this role, Andrea held several advocacy and research roles in the domain of human rights. She most recently completed a clerkship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica and worked at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A), and joint Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) / Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees from McGill University. She is a licensed lawyer in Ontario.

Recording date: 9 December, 2023

This talk was part of the Ignite Change Global Convention, a 10-day commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Ignite Change was organized by:
The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights: https://www.jhcentre.org
Righting Relations Canada: https://rightingrelations.org/
Canadians for a Civil Society: https://ccsorg.ca/

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