How do we make economic, social and cultural rights a reality in Latin America?

Publish Date: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2013

     Luisa Cabal (CRR, U.S.), Mario Melo (Fundacion Pachamama, Ecuador), Juan Carlos Ruiz (IDL, Peru)

The International Network on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), the Centre for Law, Justice and Society (Dejusticia) and the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) organized the first Latin America Strategic Workshop on Enforcement of Positive Decisions on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Bogota (Colombia) on February 7-8, 2013, bringing together 20 lawyers and activists from across the region. The workshop was supported by the Ford Foundation and the University of Los Andes.

As is well known, the judicial enforcement of ESC rights has advanced considerably in Latin America, as different national courts have been deciding cases favorably on these rights and some international bodies (including the Inter-American Commission) have shown greater receptivity to the subject. These achievements have created a new challenge that has not yet been explored systematically and collectively: the need to develop strategies to understand and promote the implementation of these decisions and deepen their positive impacts to fully realize human rights.

The workshop had the following objectives:

  • To examine strategies to improve the implementation and impact of decisions on ESCR in Latin America. 
  • To discuss lessons learned regarding the implementation of decisions and to identify cases for joint support through regional and international advocacy.
  • To create a space to discuss litigation strategies, including how those affected by human rights’ violations can have a more central role in the implementation of decisions.
  • To develop specific proposals for improving the implementation of judgments of ESCR cases that will allow us to work collaboratively at national and regional levels.

The next steps, agreed upon by the workshop participants, will include the support for implementation of four judgments issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Comunidad Indígena Yakye Axa (2005), Comunidad Indígena Sawhoyamaxa (2006), Comunidad Indígena Xákmok Kásek (2010) against Paraguay and Sarayaku (2012) against Ecuador. Dejusticia and ESCR-Net will conduct a field visit to Tierraviva (Paraguay) and Fundación Pachamama (Ecuador), to find the best strategies of action, including participatory processes of implementation.

Diego Morales (CELS, Argentina), Cesar Rodriguez (Dejusticia,Colombia), Miguel Pulido (Fundar, Mexico)

 

Participants:

Name       

Organization

Country

Víctor

Abramovich

 

Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Nacional de Lanús (UNLA)

Argentina

Ximena

Andion

Equis

Mexico

Flavia

Annenberg

Conectas

Brazil

Dalile

Antunez

ACIJ

Argentina

Oscar

Ayala

Tierraviva

Paraguay

Luisa

Cabal

Center for Reproductive Rights

Colombia/USA

Monica

Arango

Center for Reproductive Rights

Colombia

María Silvia

Emanuelli

HIC

Mexico

Darci

Frigo

Terra de Direitos

Brazil

Daniela

Ikawa

Red-DESC

Brasil/USA

Mario

Melo

Fundación Pachamama

Ecuador

Diego

Morales

CELS

Argentina

Vivian

Newman Pont

Dejusticia

Colombia

Jomary

Ortegón

CAJAR

Colombia

Miguel

Pulido

Fundar

Mexico

Cesar

Rodríguez

Dejusticia

Colombia

Julieta

Rossi

 

Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Nacional de Lanús (UNLA)

Argentina

Juan Carlos

Ruíz Molleda

Instituto de Defensa Legal

Peru

Camilo

Sánchez

Dejusticia

Colombia

Rodrigo Uprimny

 

Dejusticia

Colombia