The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex) announced on Friday, August 23, the election of Ambassador Gabriel Orellana Rojas as a member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI) of the Organization of American States (OAS).
He added that with 28 votes, former Foreign Minister Orellana was elected at the 54th ordinary session of the General Assembly in Asunción, Paraguay, for a four-year term beginning in January 2025.
He explained that the election is carried out through a system that takes into account an equitable geographical representation of the states and the capabilities of the candidates.
He added that along with Orellana, the candidates Claudio Troncoso Repetto, from Chile, and Nienke Grossman, from the United States, were elected.
The Inter-American Juridical Committee is one of the principal organs of the OAS. It is composed of 11 jurists from the member states.
According to Minex, this Committee is the organization’s advisory body on legal matters, responsible for promoting the progressive development and codification of international law, and studying the possibility of standardizing the legislation of the countries of the hemisphere.
Guatemala had not been a member of this OAS body, which is made up of three members, for more than 30 years.
Orellana Rojas received a successful endorsement, which demonstrated the confidence placed by the region in the high profile and vast career of the lawyer and diplomat.
The work plan presented to the IJC focused on two aspects: the first is the expansion of the Committee’s activities so that it can respond appropriately to democratic setbacks and to expand institutional strengthening, in accordance with the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the OAS Charter, as well as the mechanisms and instruments it has at its disposal to fulfill its purposes.
Also, to represent a Central American voice in the CJI’s work agenda, strengthening the discussion and analysis with the purpose of strengthening the content of the Committee’s reports, so that they reflect the factual and legal context, taking into account the particular situation of each Subregion of the Americas.
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- Minex added that Ambassador Orellana Rojas is a lawyer and notary, having graduated from Rafael Landívar University in 1974.
- He completed postgraduate studies in Anglo-American Law at the New York University School of Law; and American and International Law at the University of Texas, Dallas, United States; in addition to the Lawyer Training Program at Harvard University, School of Law (1989).
- In his long professional career spanning more than three decades in the field of law and diplomacy, he has held important positions such as Minister of Foreign Affairs, member of the Congress of the Republic and member appointed by Guatemala to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, among others.
The election of Ambassador Gabriel Orellana Rojas as a member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee (CJI) of @OEA_official is a source of pride for Guatemala. With 28 votes, he was elected at the 54th ordinary session of the General Assembly in Asunción, Paraguay, for a… pic.twitter.com/SfKWsnDo4j
— MINEX Guatemala 🇬🇹 (@MinexGt) August 22, 2024
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