About the OAS

• Who We Are
• What We Do
• Our Structure
  • General Assembly
  • Meetings of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
  • Councils
  • Inter-American Juridical Committee
  • Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
  • General Secretariat
    • Secretary General
    • Assistant Secretary General
    • Secretariats
    • Other Autonomous and/or Decentralized Organs, Agencies, Entities, and Dependencies
  • Specialized Conferences
  • Specialized Organizations
• Our Locations
• Offices in Member States
• Our History
• Logo
• Authorities

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) was created by a resolution of the Fifth Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Santiago, Chile, in 1959. It was formally established in 1960 when the Permanent Council of the Organization approved its Statute. Its Rules of Procedure, first adopted in 1980, were amended several times thereafter, most recently in 2006.

The IACHR is one of the two organs of the inter-American system entrusted with promoting and protecting human rights. Its seven members are elected by the General Assembly and serve in an individual capacity. They have four-year terms and may be re-elected only once.