The Inter-American System

Abstract

This chapter lays out the legal framework for the protection of economic, social, cultural and environmental rights (ESCER) in the Inter-American System of Human Rights (IASHR), followed by a description of the monitoring and protection mechanisms. It tackles the IASHR’s most salient jurisprudential and doctrinal developments and highlights the system’s commitment to human rights defenders and the community engaged in the defense of ESCER. Despite its various limitations, the IASHR has made significant contributions to the development of ESCER in the Americas. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) have conscientiously developed the tools available to them through their doctrine, jurisprudence, interim measures, rapporteurships and reparations to extend the protection of ESCER. The IASHR’s remarkable interpretations of the social rights aspects of fundamental rights, as well as the recognition and enforcement of ESCER under the American Convention, provide a solid foundation for the further advances necessary to meet current and ongoing challenges.