Regional Office for South America

The Regional Office for South America was established in Santiago, following the signature of an agreement between the OHCHR and the Government of Chile on 23 September 2009. This Office complies with the mandate and general competences assigned to the OHCHR by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993.

The Regional Office for South America covers the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. In South America, the OHCHR has country offices in Bolivia and Colombia and a Human Rights Adviser in Ecuador and Paraguay. The Regional Office for South America coordinates its activities and actions with these field presences.

The Regional Office for South America works with governments, parliaments, tribunals, national institutions, civil society, regional and international organisations and the United Nations to develop and strengthen their capacities, so as to improve the promotion and protection of human rights, according to international norms.

The thematic priorities of the Regional Office for South America are impunity and the rule of law, violence and public security, discrimination, and poverty, combined with economical, social and cultural rights.

The primary objectives of the OHCHR-South America Office are:

• To observe the regional human rights situation
• To promote universal, international human rights instruments
• To organize seminars, workshops and research around various human rights issues
• Train stakeholders on how to use United Nations human rights promotion and protection mechanisms and how to follow-up on their rulings and recommendations
• Train others on the Universal Periodic Review and how to follow-up on its recommendations
• Provide technical assistance in the harmonization and implementation of international human rights commitments
• Provide assistance with human rights Plans and Action Programmes
• Facilitate roundtables with participation from civil society, national human rights institutions, the community and international cooperation, prioritizing and highlighting best practices
• Support the visits of Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups in the countries we cover and disseminate their recommendations
• Cooperate with other international or regional and inter-governmental or non-governmental organizations
• Cooperate with Resident Coordinators and UNCTs on human rights issues
• Provide training on the human-rights-based approach and its application in the CAA/UNDAF and the MDGs
• Inform and promote all of these objectives by means of press releases, articles, interviews, videos, factsheets and other publications.

The actions undertaken in 2010-2011 include:

• Organizing seminars and workshops on the importance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and the Paris Principles
• The use of human rights protection mechanisms, with an emphasis on the rights of indigenous peoples
• Training on the use of new international instruments such as: Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, the International Convention for the Protection of all People Against Enforced Disappearances, the United Nations´ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or the recently approved Optional Protocol to the International Convention for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Raising awareness of best practices and challenges that States, NHRIs and civil society face in their presentations before the Universal Periodic Review and the Human Rights Council
• The application of a human-rights based approach in planning and in development programmes
• The dissemination of various strategies and public information activities that range from press releases to events, publications, videos and the use of social networks.
  

The Regional Representative of the High Commissioner in South America is Amerigo Incalcaterra.
Contact: Regional Representative for South America
Av. Dag Hammerskjöld 3269, Vitacura
Santiago de Chile, Chile
Telephone number: (562) 321-7750
Fax: (562) 263-4978
E-mail: ohchr-santiago@ohchr.org

Web: http://acnudh.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onudh
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ONU_derechos
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ONUderechos
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onuderechos/