BY GOVERNMENT OF BARBADOS | NOV 12, 2021 | TOP STORIES
Lawyer and a human rights activist Roberta Clarke has been elected as a Commissioner to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). (GP)
On Friday, November 12, 2021, during the 51st Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS), elections were held for vacant posts in five organs, agencies and entities of the Organisation.
During these elections, the Government of Barbados nominated candidate Roberta Clarke was one of three successful contenders elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
Ms. Clarke is a lawyer and a human rights activist with over 35 years’ experience and has shaped and been shaped by the international architecture of human rights.
As one of two CARICOM representatives on the seven-member Commission, she hopes to bring her wealth of experience to bear on the Commission by being responsive to all member states’ need and to accelerate the pace of human rights compliance in the Americas.
Ms. Clarke’s successful campaign was directed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, with lobbying efforts executed by the Permanent Mission of Barbados to the OAS.
Ms. Clarke successfully competed against a field of four additional countries vying for three vacant positions opening on January 1, 2022. Representatives from Mexico and Colombia will join Ms. Clarke as they assume their roles for the next three years.
“It is an honour to have been elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as Barbados’ nominee. The Commission has the mandate to promote and protect human rights for everyone without discrimination. And its role is even more important now in this time of unprecedented challenges arising from the COVID pandemic and the climate crisis. As an independent Commissioner, I will contribute to the Commission’s work to accelerate social justice and ending historical inequalities, including those based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social status, abilities and migrant status.
“I will work to support member states in their ratification and implementation of human rights obligations and in particular, the American Convention on Human Rights, and promote the meaningful participation of civil society. As someone from the Caribbean, we have much to gain from a closer engagement with the Inter-American human rights system and we have much to contribute as a region with a history of actions to overcome the legacies of colonialism through democratic movements,” Ms. Clarke stated.
The Inter American Commission on Human Rights is tasked with the promotion, observance and protection of human rights in the Americas and serves as a consultative organ of the OAS in these matters.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
Prime Minister Congratulates New IACHR Commissioner
Barbadian attorney-at-law, Roberta Clarke, has become the fourth Barbadian to be elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an achievement that evoked immediate congratulations from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.
Clarke was elected today during the 51st General Assembly of the Organisation of American States in Washington, DC. She was one of five candidates who vied for three positions on the Commission.
“This is a significant achievement for Ms. Clarke and Barbados, and presents yet another golden opportunity for the laws, customs, culture and flavour of the Caribbean to be seen in the work of an important hemispheric body that has in its existence largely reflected Latin America,” Ms. Mottley said.
“It is also quite significant in that it has taken place at a time when our world and region face new challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, that without doubt will raise fresh human rights concerns for our people.”
In reaction, Ms. Clarke said: “It is an honour to have been elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as Barbados’ nominee. The Commission has the mandate to promote and protect human rights for everyone, without discrimination. And its role is even more important now in this time of unprecedented challenges arising from the COVID pandemic and the climate crisis…
“It is my intention to contribute to the Commission’s work in three main ways:
• Accelerating social justice and ending historical inequalities, including those based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social status, abilities and migrant status;
• Maintaining the momentum of human rights enjoyment amid COVID-19 by supporting states in meeting their non-negotiable commitments, while protecting those who promote human rights; and
• Building new efficiencies through cooperation, continued investments in ending case backlogs, and strengthening follow-up approaches to case decisions and reports.”
Barbadians Sir Henry Forde, Oliver Jackman and Peter Laurie have previously served as IACHR commissioners.
