Independent Panel to Evaluate Candidates to the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) Bodies

The Independent Panel to Evaluate Candidates to the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) Bodies seeks to strengthen the standards and transparency of elections of commissioners and judges to the Inter-American Human Rights System. The Initiative advances efforts to improve the nomination and election process of commissioners and judges by supporting the work of an Independent Panel of Experts who evaluate the qualifications of candidates applying to serve as commissioners and judges in the Inter-American Human Rights System. American University Washington College of Law supports the work of the Independent Panel by serving as its Secretariat.

This year, three new judges will be elected to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. For this reason, a panel of renowned experts has been convened to monitor the transparency of the process and to evaluate the candidates’ qualifications.

About the Initiative

In 2015, as part of an ongoing effort to increase the transparency and visibility of the nomination and elections process for regional human rights commissioners and judges, the Open Society Justice Initiative, the Due Process of Law Foundation, and the Center for Justice and International Law convened the first independent panel of experts to evaluate the qualifications of candidates who have applied to serve as commissioners and judges in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. For the past several years, American University Washington College of Law has supported the work of the Independent Panel by serving as its Secretariat. With the support of numerous NGOs, universities, and bar associations throughout the region, these organizations share a common commitment to strengthening the Inter-American Human Rights System through the principle of fair, transparent, and inclusive elections, and through the nomination of qualified and independent candidates.  

Meet the 2021 Panel of Experts

Previous Reports 

Relevant Resolutions and Guidelines

Comparative Approaches to Nominations and Elections