![]() ![]() In response to a Santiago Summit initiative, in 1998 the IACHR established a Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, with a mandate to support and promote freedom of the press. IACHR autonomy is further enhanced by its prerogative to initiate human rights investigations without the approval of the Secretary General or the Permanent Council. Its seven commission members are elected in their own right, not as representatives of governments. Located in Washington, DC, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is distinguished from other multilateral organizations’ human rights entities by its political autonomy. Finally, the SSD develops and manages crisis-prevention, peace-building, crisis resolution, and post-conflict recovery programs to hemispheric countries, including boundary dispute negotiation. The SSD also provides advice and assistance in the modernization of electoral laws, civil and electoral registries, and civil administration. The SSD coordinates OAS electoral observation missions, develops projects to consolidate democratic governance through cooperative work with legislatures and governments, political parties, grassroots civic development and civil society organizations. The SSD consists of a tripartite division consisting of the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation, the Department of Sustainable Democracy and Special Missions, and a Department of Effective Public Management. Since its creation in 2006, the OAS Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy (SSD) has been committed to a tripartite program of democracy promotion, good governance, and crisis prevention in the hemisphere. With each new crisis, the OAS has worked to find peaceful, constitutional solutions to key political crises in the hemisphere. ![]() In recent years, the OAS has invoked Resolution 1080, the Washington Protocol, and the Inter-American Democratic Charter on multiple occasions to support representative democracy in situations where democratic practices or institutions have been challenged in OAS member states. This mandate has been reaffirmed at subsequent OAS General Assemblies, and continues to serve as the basis for on-going efforts at the OAS in this area. The 2005 OAS General Assembly was hosted by the United States for the first time since 1974 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida under the theme “Delivering the Benefits of Democracy.” The Declaration of Florida and Resolution 2154, adopted at the meeting, marked an important multilateral commitment to advance the hemisphere’s democratic agenda.īuilding on previous achievements of the inter-American community to address threats to democracy- Resolution 1080, the Washington Protocol and the Quebec Summit-the declaration and accompanying resolution empowered and gave the Secretary General a new mandate to develop initiatives for regional cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Democratic Charter in order to proactively address threats to democracy. ![]() If there is a clear interruption of democratic order, or if an undemocratic alteration is not remedied, the document calls for a General Assembly that may, among other things, suspend the offending government from the inter-American system, which requires a two-thirds vote of the member states. In the event that one of the OAS members should fail to uphold the essential elements of democratic life, the Democratic Charter allows a member state or the Secretary General to request an immediate convocation of the Permanent Council to consider the facts, deploy diplomatic efforts, or use other political mediation. The Democratic Charter defines the essential elements of representative democracy in very specific terms, including: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms holding free and fair elections a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations separation of powers independence of the branches of government freedom of expression and of the press and constitutional subordination of all state institutions to the legally constituted civilian authority. The Democratic Charter prescribes steps to be taken in the event of an unconstitutional interruption of the democratic order or the unconstitutional alteration of the constitutional regime that seriously impairs the democratic order of a member state.Īrticle 1 states: “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” It also states that: “Democracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the peoples of the Americas.” On September 11, 2001, the OAS adopted the Inter-American Democratic Charter designed to strengthen and preserve representative democracy in the hemisphere. ![]() The promotion of peace, democracy, and good governance are core OAS concerns. ![]()
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