Rafael Correa opened the first meeting with the IACHR

Rafael Correa

During his opening speech at the first meeting of States Parties of the Pact of San Jose, the president, Rafael Correa, justified the reason for its proposed reforms to the Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), among those is changing the its current headquarters, funding and restricting their ability to issue interim measures.

Correa, as host of the event in Guayaquil, proposed Argentina to be the new headquarters of the Commission and leave the United States, a country which he said is not signatory of the American Convention on Human Rights, it does not recognize the Inter-American system and is not a signatory to the Pact of San José.

Regarding funding, reiterated his proposal for funds coming only from states that have signed the Convention and do not accept donations from countries that are not part of this. It also requested the prohibition of funds given by NGOs.

“It takes $ 15 million to fund the Commission and if any country has a problem in providing this funding, Ecuador will meet that quota,” the president promised. He added that funding should be by binding states that are party to the Convention and be “shared equally between the rapporteurs“, not only for freedom of expression to which, as at other times, he harshly questioned.

On the precautionary measures the head of state spent about eight minutes to explain his contempt and say that the “Ecuadorian state does not recognize the ability of the Commission to impose precautionary measures and only recognizes the ability of the Court, which it has several“. He concluded saying that the Commission “is absolutely dominated by foreign powers, and big business interests behind the business is dedicated to communication.”