The United States has put forward Rosa María Payá as a candidate for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Elections for the position will take place during the 2025 General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Antigua and Barbuda on June 27.
Rosa María Payá is recognized internationally as a proponent of democracy and human rights, with a focus on Latin American policy. Her role as Executive Director of the Foundation for Pan-American Democracy involves working with policymakers on issues of regional security, human rights, and democratic stability.
Payá founded the Cuba Decide movement, which brings together Cuban civil society and opposition groups to advocate for political reform through a binding plebiscite. She is the daughter of the late Oswaldo Payá, a Sakharov Prize laureate who was assassinated by the Cuban regime. Rosa María Payá has received the Morris Abram Human Rights Award (2019) and Common-Sense Society Courage Award (2022).
The IACHR operates independently to promote and defend human rights within OAS member states. It has been instrumental over the past 65 years in ensuring that these states meet their human rights commitments.
The Commission consists of seven independent Commissioners, elected in their personal capacities, which supports its autonomy as a human rights organization. This independence is a crucial component of the organization's ability to objectively assess and report on human rights situations across the hemisphere.
U.S. foreign policy highly values the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stated in the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The United States has expressed its continued support for the IACHR, highlighting the importance of maintaining its autonomy.