Human Rights in the Americas Symposium: An Examination of Past, Present, and Future

This interdisciplinary symposium consists of hearings by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), as well as a series of thematic panels on the intersection of human rights with democratic institutions and the rule of law, migration, housing justice, sports, gender justice, racial justice, and the environment.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Hearings

The IACHR, together with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, are the principal human rights organs in the Organization of American States (OAS). Created by the OAS in 1959 with the mission to promote and protect human rights in the American hemisphere, the Commission is composed of seven independent members who hold at least two periods of sessions a year.

Miami, situated at the crossroads of the Americas, is ideally situated to host an IACHR period of sessions. The complex human rights problems of Latin America and the Caribbean are felt intensely in South Florida. Over the past several decades, migrants from across the Americas have settled upon our shores, creating diasporic communities. South Florida also has its share of local human rights issues, many of which are connected to regional human rights dilemmas.

The Human Rights Program (HRP) at the University of Miami School of Law has a long-term relationship with the IACHR. The Human Rights Clinic, HRP’s advocacy arm, has litigated many cases and participated in many hearings before the Inter-American human rights system. HRP faculty affiliates further engage in scholarship and teaching squarely aligned with the IACHR’s priority areas.