MEXICAN SENATOR ROSARIO GREEN NEW PRESIDENT OF THE IPU COMMITTEE ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PARLIAMENTARIANS

Senator Rosario Green, a former Foreign Affairs Minister of Mexico (1998 and 2000), has been elected President of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Belgian Senator Philippe Mahoux is the new Vice-President of the Committee, which has been meeting at the House of Parliaments till today. It has examined inter alia public cases concerning 122 legislators in 21 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Iraq, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine/Israel, Philippines, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

The new President of the Committee was Secretary General of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). She was previously Director of the Kozmetsky Centre for Excellence in Global Finance and a visiting professor at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. Until December 2004 she served as Mexican Ambassador to the Republic of Argentina.

Between 1994 and 1997, Ms. Green served as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and was a member of Secretary General Boutros-Boutros Ghali's cabinet. She was also Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Human Rights (1990-1992). She also worked at the Mexican Mission to the international organizations in Geneva (1973-1975).

In addition to Senator Green and Senator Mahoux, the other members of the Committee present in Geneva were: Senator Sharon Carstairs (Canada), Senator Zahia Benarous (Algeria) and MP Kazem Jalali (Islamic Republic of Iran). Senator Alima Boumediene-Thiery (France) and MP Bogdan Barovic (Slovenia) both substitute members of the Committee were also present.

The IPU assists legislators in representing their constituents freely and effectively. In 1976, it set up the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, which has since examined cases in over 100 countries and has often helped those under threat obtain protection or reparation. This can take various forms, such as the release of a detained parliamentarian, reinstatement of an MP to parliament, an inquiry into attacks, prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes and payment of compensation.