Context:
The Inter-American Human Rights System has been weakened. Autocratic systems are gaining influence and undermining human rights. At the same time, financial resources and support for human rights and the relevant institutions are in decline.
Objective:
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the Court) and the population have been strengthened, which has consolidated the inter-American legal system at the regional and national level.
Approach:
The programme works with IACtHR to improve member states’ compliance with the Inter-American Human Rights System. Together with the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, it provides training for lawyers at state and civil society organisations. This allows established legal methods for applying the law to be used more widely.
In the pilot countries of Mexico and Colombia, in particular, the programme implements communication campaigns and cooperates with universities. It thus builds awareness of human rights and boosts the use of the Inter-American Human Rights System – especially among marginalised sections of the population.
With the support of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), the programme analyses the causes of human rights crises and, in dialogue with experts, develops measures to promote the long-term consolidation of the Inter-American Human Rights System.