Costa Rica approves Inter-American Convention against Racism

Costa Rica on Friday ratified the Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance to fight against discrimination.

The convention creates a committee across the Americas to prevent and eliminate all forms of racism, while establishing steps that all member countries must follow to eradicate it.

President Luis Guillermo Solis, who signed the convention in a ceremony attended by Margarette May Macaulay, the vice-chair of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), said the convention is in line with Costa Rica's fight against discrimination and is "an important step to guarantee the principles of equality" in the country.

"This Inter-American Convention Against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance is becoming, through our own will, a supra constitutional instrument which we must abide by," the president said.

The document allows any citizen of a member state of the IACHR to alert the court on any potential action by their governments which violates the convention.

According to the Costa Rican government, the Convention also reinforces Article 1 of its Constitution, which states "Costa Rica is a democratic, free and independent Republic." Enditem