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Useful Information

OHCHR Human Rights Programme for the Americas
2010

Country Mandates Established
by the CHR/HRC

Open invitation to Special Procedures

Regional Members of the Human Rights Council:

Argentina 2011
Brazil 2011
Chile 2011
Cuba 2012
Ecuador 2013
Guatemala 2013
Mexico 2012
Uruguay 2012

Voluntary Pledges and Commitments

Publications

OHCHR Report 2010

High Commissioner's Strategic Management Plan 2010-2011

Brochure: Human Rights in Action

Humanitarian Appeal - new window

A Handbook for NGOs

OHCHR Human Rights Programme for Latin America
and the Caribbean Region (2006-2007)


Situation Analysis: The situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is paradoxical. On the one hand, the region has a strong and effective system for protecting human rights in the Inter-American Commission and Court for Human Rights. In addition, almost every country in the region has a national human rights institution. Governments are eager to cooperate with international and regional human rights mechanisms, and there is a large base of experienced and effective civil society organizations willing to cooperate with governments in tackling the causes of human rights violations.

On the other hand, however, there are persistent and growing human rights challenges, such as: exclusion of and discrimination against large segments of the population resulting in a lack of access to economic, social, and cultural rights, which, in turn, creates social tensions and internal conflicts; a high foreign-debt burden; institutions for the administration of justice that are too weak to effectively address high levels of corruption, impunity, and public insecurity; the many serious human rights abuses committed under dictatorial regimes in the past, and during the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia, which have not been investigated and prosecuted; and one of the lowest rates of ratification of international human rights treaties in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Regional priorities and strategies: OHCHR aims to gradually increase its presence in the region during the coming biennium. A new country office will be established in Bolivia in response to the Government’s request for assistance.

OHCHR’s regional office in Santiago will gradually focus on economic, social, and cultural rights, strengthening its cooperation with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and providing expertise to all other OHCHR field presences in the region. A new regional office will be opened in Central America with a focus on discrimination, violence against women, and exclusion.

Human rights officers are deployed: in Ecuador, to work primarily on reinforcing the country’s administration of justice system; and in the English-speaking Caribbean, to carry out awareness-raising campaigns and human rights education, and to promote ratification of international human rights instruments and reporting.

The strengthened New York Office will enhance cooperation with Washington-based regional institutions, such as the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights, and other organizations focused on the region, including civil society organizations.

The new presences will complement the country offices in Mexico, where OHCHR aims to renegotiate its current mandate, Colombia, and Guatemala. In Haiti, OHCHR will continue to support the human rights component of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). In addition, there will be an increased focus on Brazil. Other activities and presences, such as ongoing projects with Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay will be phased out during the biennium.

Thematically, OHCHR will focus on the most pressing human rights concerns, namely: exclusion and discrimination; the weak administration of justice and ensuing impunity; protection of vulnerable groups, particularly indigenous peoples and afrodescendants; and violence against women. OHCHR will continue to work closely with our partners in the region, which include the United Nations system; the United Nations Country Teams; the United Nations Peace Mission in Haiti; the Organization of American States and its human rights components, the Inter-American Commission and Court of Human Rights; the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD); ECLAC; and the Interamerican Development Bank.

In the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, OHCHR’s field deployment is projected as follows:

 

Maintained

Strengthened

To be established

 Regional Offices Latin America (Santiago)    Central America
 Country Offices Colombia
Guatemala
 Mexico  
 UN Peace Missions    Haiti  Bolivia
 HR Advisors Guyana
Ecuador
   

Contact Information

Headquarters

Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division
Geneva, Switzerland

Americas Section
Tel. + 41 22 928 9167
Geneva, Switzerland

Regional Offices/Centres

Regional Office for South America,
Santiago de Chile, Chile
2010

Avda. Dag Hammarskjöld 3269,
Vitacura
Santiago de Chile
Tel: (56-2) 321 7750
Fax: (56-2) 263 4978
Email: ohchr-santiago@ohchr.org
website: http://acnudh.org
Contact: Mr. Amerigo Incalcaterra
Regional Representative for South America

Regional Office for Central America
Panama City, Panama
2010
Casa de las Naciones Unidas
Edificio 128,
3er. piso,
Ciudad del Saber, Clayton
Panama City,
Panama
Tel: (507) 302 4500
Fax: (507) 302 4694
Email: Pregionaloffice@ohchr.org
Website: http://www.oacnudh.org/
Contact: Ms. Carmen Rosa Villa
Regional Representative for Central America

Feature stories

Other OHCHR Offices

Bolivia
Colombia
Guatemala
Haiti
Mexico

Links

United Nations Country Teams in Americas Region

Other UN links

External links

Organization of American States

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

Geneva Conventions

ILO Conventions

Refugee Conventions

International Criminal Court

Interamerican Development Bank

National Institutions


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