The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Wednesday announced that the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) has elected Dr. Riyad Insanally as Commissioner.
The IACHR said that Insanally has over 31 years of experience in multilateral diplomacy and that from 2016 to 2021, he served as Guyana’s eighth ambassador to the United States and fourth permanent representative to the OAS, as well as ambassador-designate, nonresident, to Mexico.
It said that he held several senior positions within the OAS and the inter-American system, including serving as chair of the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, and the CARICOM Group of Ambassadors.
Most recently, he served as head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the general elections in St. Lucia, held on December 1, this year.
Insally received Guyana’s third highest award, the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH), in the 2019 National Honours, for “long and distinguished service in the field of diplomacy and international relations”.
The IACHR said that Insanally’s term will run through December 31, 2027 and that his candidacy was presented by Guyana following the resignation of Dr. Arif Bulkan, who stepped down during his first term as commissioner after being appointed judge with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. (CMC)
