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INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS

 INTERNATIONAL TREATIES

 

Apart from its domestic laws, SVG has signed, ratified, and acceded to a number of international documents under the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS). These documents (declarations/treaties/conventions) may give rise to a number of international legal obligations.

The UN is one of the largest international organizations in the world. Amongst other things, it is dedicated to promoting human rights. This includes promoting equality and non-discrimination. To learn more about the United Nations Human Rights System, follow this link. To also learn more about some of the different documents under the UN that SVG has signed, ratified, or acceded to, see the links below:

Charter

 

Declaration

Civil and Political Rights​

Social and Economic Rights

Children's rights​

Women's rights​

Racial Rights​

Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Asylum, Refugee and/or Migrant rights

Indigenous Persons

SVG has ratified or acceded to some treaties or important documents under the OAS.

 

Under the OAS we have the Interamerican Human Rights System which is the regional human rights mechanism for member states in the OAS. The Interamerican Court of Human Rights is located in San José, Costa Rica, and the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights is located in Washington, USA. To learn more about the Interamerican System of Human Rights, kindly follow this link.

Learn more about some of the different documents under the  OAS which SVG has signed, ratified, or acceded to below:

Charter

Declaration

Women's Rights

NON-BINDING INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS

There are many non-binding international documents that may be useful concerning promoting equality and protecting against discrimination in SVG.

  • Declaration of Principles on Equality and commentary

The Declaration was created by a group of experts and activists, outlining the principles relating to the fundamental international human rights norms of equality and non-discrimination. 

     1. Declaration of Principles on Equality

     2. Commentary on the Declaration of Principles on Equality

 

  • ​LGBTQ+ rights

Presently, there is no binding international convention on States protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ persons, however, we do have the Yogyakarta Principles and the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10, which are both non-binding.

       1. The Yogyakarta Principles

       2. The Yogyakarta Principles plus 10 

 

ISSUES

 

1. Neglect of Implementation of International Treaties at the Domestic Level

 

SVG has signed, acceded to, or ratified various international treaties. However, the State needs to do more than this. It needs to implement these treaties at the domestic level. So far, SVG has failed to implement most international treaties at the domestic level. 

2. Neglect of OAS/Interamerican Human Rights System

The Interamerican human rights system was specifically created to address human rights issues in the Americas and the Caribbean. However, SVG has failed to sign, accede to or ratify some important human rights treaties under the Interamerican human rights system such as the American Convention on Human Rights and the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("Protocol of San Salvador"). Additionally, so far it has failed to take the necessary steps so that the Interamerican Court of Human Rights can have jurisdiction over it.

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