06/16/2026
👉 The Independent Panel to Evaluate Candidates to the Inter-American Human Rights System Bodies (Panel SIDH) has played, since its establishment in 2015, a key role in strengthening the standards and transparency governing the selection of candidates to the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS) bodies.
In the context of the fourth transparent selection process carried out by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to appoint the next Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE), and with the aim of contributing to that process, the Secretariat of the Panel SIDH has presented and made public the criteria developed by the Panel over its ten years of existence to assess candidates for the IACHR. These criteria reflect the accumulated practice of this mechanism and, with the necessary adjustments, may be useful to the IACHR in assessing the qualifications of candidates for the SRFOE, given that they have been previously applied in selection processes for Commissioners and relate to aspects closely connected to those that must be considered for the position of the SRFOE.
In particular, the content and scope of the following criteria are described, in accordance with the accumulated practice and interpretation of the Panel SIDH: high moral character; experience and expertise in the procedures of the bodies of the IAHRS and in human rights; independence, impartiality, incompatibilities and absence of conflicts of interest; and equitable and balanced representation in the position.
🔗Access the full document with the criteria here:https://www.american.edu/wcl/impact/initiatives-programs/independent-panel-to-evaluate-candidates-to-the-iahrs-bodies/upload/panel-sidh-selection-criteria-rele-2026.pdf
