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O 252022Z MAR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 028833 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL OAS XM CA IAHRC
SUBJECT: PROMOTING U.S. CANDIDATE FOR OAS HUMAN RIGHTS 
COMMISSION 
 
¶1. (SBU) This is an action message (see paras 7-8). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary: The United States has nominated Dinah L. 
Shelton for a seat on the Inter-American Commission on Human 
Rights (IACHR).  Shelton is a professor of international law 
at The George Washington University Law School and an expert 
on human rights law.  She will stand for election to the 
IACHR by secret ballot at the Organization of American States 
(OAS) General Assembly in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on June 
1-3.  Posts are requested to approach foreign ministries and 
other appropriate contacts to seek host government support 
for Profesor Shelton's candidacy, drawing on points in 
paragraph 9. Posts may also provide copies of Shelton's 
curriculum vitae, as excerpted in paragraph 11.  End summary. 
 
¶3. (U) Background:  The IACHR is an autonomous organ of the 
OAS that advances the promotion and protection of human 
rights throughout the Americas.  Given our strong and 
historic support of the IACHR, it is a priority that the 
United States maintain strong representation on the 
Commission. The IACHR is composed of seven Commissioners who 
serve four-year terms, with the possibility of re-election to 
one additional term.  Commissioners are nominated by 
governments and elected by the OAS General Assembly, but 
serve in their personal capacity representing all OAS Member 
States. A U.S. nominee has served on the Commission since its 
inception in 1959, with the exception of one term 
(2003-2006).  The current U.S. member of the IACHR, Paolo 
Carozza of the University of Notre Dame Law School, has opted 
not to seek re-election this year. 
 
¶4. (SBU) This is a contested election.  There are three IACHR 
vacancies this year and four eligible candidates. The OAS 
General Assembly will elect Commissioners by secret ballot 
June 1-3 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Only one incumbent, 
Victor Abramovich of Argentina, is seeking reelection. Mexico 
has nominated former Federal Electoral Tribunal judge Jose de 
Jesus Orozco Henriquez, and Colombia has nominated former 
Constitutional Court judge Rodrigo Escobar Gil. There would 
have been five eligible candidates, but Saint Kitts and Nevis 
announced its candidate, Dr. Henry Browne, after the deadline 
for submissions. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The U.S. nominee - Professor Shelton - is 
highly-respected in the area of human rights and 
international law, has written extensively on human rights 
matters, and is the first female the United States has 
nominated to the IACHR.  It is critical that the United 
States Government persuade fellow OAS member states to elect 
a U.S. nominee to the IACHR.  Professor Shelton's service on 
the IACHR will demonstrate U.S. commitment to the Western 
Hemisphere's primary human rights body and the inter-American 
system as a whole.  Having a U.S. nominee on the IACHR also 
ensures that the Western Hemisphere's diversity of legal 
tradition is represented on the IACHR.  Additionally, U.S. 
nominees on the IACHR traditionally offer solid human rights 
experience and a voice of reason and balance to a body 
composed of Commissioners with widely varying levels of 
experience. 
 
¶6. (U) Professor Shelton has extensive knowledge of Latin 
America and the Caribbean and expertise in both the 
inter-American human rights system and the operation of 
domestic and international adjudicatory processes.  Dr. 
Shelton's role in effective case management - acquired 
through managerial experience at the Ninth Circuit - will be 
a tremendous asset to the Commission in managing its own 
overburdened docket.  Dr. Shelton has also been instrumental 
in raising the profile of the inter-American human rights 
system within English-speaking OAS Member States, having 
written the first English casebook about the system.  Her 
language skills in the four official OAS languages (English, 
Spanish, French, and Portuguese), including particular 
fluency in French, will also be crucial to her effectiveness 
as a Commissioner. 
 
¶7. (U) Action Request: Posts are requested to approach 
foreign ministries, preferably their legal advisers as well 
as officials dealing with multilateral organizations and 
human rights issues to seek host government support for 
Shelton's candidacy. Posts may also leave copies of her 
curriculum vitae, excerpted in paragraph 11. Posts may also 
draw upon points in paragraph 9, and if desired, leave them 
as a nonpaper along with Shelton's CV.  A Spanish translation 
of these points will be e-mailed to political counselors, 
along with the full version of the CV. 
 
 
STATE 00028833  002 OF 005 
 
 
¶8. (U) Action Request, continued: For posts in countries that 
have also nominated eligible candidates (Argentina, Colombia, 
and Mexico):  You may inform host governments that the United 
States is carefully studying the qualifications of their 
nominees and would be pleased to discuss our respective 
candidates in more detail through our missions to the OAS in 
Washington. 
 
¶9. (U) Points to support Shelton's candidacy: 
 
-- The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is 
established under the Charter of the Organization of American 
States "to promote the observance and protection of human 
rights and to serve as a consultative organ of the 
Organization on these matters." 
 
-- The strength of the Commission lies in the expertise and 
diversity of its members, representing the many distinct 
legal, linguistic, and cultural traditions that make up the 
Organization of American States. 
 
-- In light of the continuing importance the United States 
places on the Commission, we are pleased to support Dinah L. 
Shelton, professor of international law at The George 
Washington University, to stand for election to the IACHR at 
the OAS General Assembly in June. Professor Shelton is well 
known in international legal circles, with over 30 years of 
experience in multiple areas of international law and 
practice, including human rights.  She has numerous 
publications to her credit and is the United States' first 
female nominee to the IACHR. If elected, Professor Shelton 
would also be the only Commissioner with a common law 
background. 
 
-- Professor Shelton joined the Law School faculty at The 
George Washington University in 2004. Before her appointment, 
she was professor of international law and director of the 
doctoral program in international human rights law at the 
University of Notre Dame Law School from 1996-2004. She 
previously taught at Santa Clara University and was a 
visiting lecturer at the University of California - Davis, 
Stanford University, University of California - Berkeley, the 
University of Paris, and the Universite Robert Schumann, 
Strasbourg, France. 
-- Professor Shelton is the author or editor of three 
prize-winning books: "Protecting Human Rights in the 
Americas" (winner of the 1982 Inter-American Bar Association 
Book Prize and co-authored with Thomas Buergenthal), a book 
that has been updated on 3 occasions since that time; 
"Remedies in International Human Rights Law" (awarded the 
2000 Certificate of Merit, American Society of International 
Law); and the three volume "Encyclopedia of Genocide and 
Crimes against Humanity" (awarded a "Best Research" book 
award by the New York Public Library). 
 
-- She has authored numerous articles and books on 
international law, human rights law, and international 
environmental law. She is a member of the board of editors of 
the American Journal of International Law and is a counselor 
to the American Society of International Law. 
 
-- Professor Shelton serves on the boards of many human 
rights and environmental organizations and was designated an 
"honorary European" to join the European Council on 
Environmental Law.  In 2006, she was awarded the prestigious 
Elizabeth Haub Prize in Environmental Law. 
 
-- From 1987 to 1989, Professor Shelton served as the 
director of the Office of Staff Attorneys at the U.S. Court 
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In this context, Dr. 
Shelton's unique experience with case management would be a 
tremendous asset to the Commission in managing its own 
overburdened docket. 
 
-- In addition, Professor Shelton has served as a legal 
consultant to the OAS, as well as the United Nations 
Environment Programme, United Nations Institute for Training 
and Research, World Health Organization, European Union, and 
Council of Europe. 
 
-- We believe her experience in common law would help achieve 
a balance among legal traditions represented on the 
Commission, complementing the civil law background of most 
Commissioners. 
 
-- We hope you will carefully consider supporting this U.S. 
expert in advance of the OAS General Assembly with your vote. 
 In addition, we hope that you share our view that the 
Commission should increasingly include equal gender 
representation.  Please let us know if we can answer any 
questions or provide any additional information about our 
candidate. 
 
STATE 00028833  003 OF 005 
 
 
 
¶10. (SBU) Shelton's excerpted curriculum vitae follows.  A 
full version of this CV will be e-mailed, in English and 
Spanish, to political counselors.  Please provide this full 
copy to your foreign ministry interlocutors and any other 
relevant contacts.  Please relay responses to this demarche 
by e-mail to WHA/USOAS Andrew Stevenson 
(StevensonAD@state.gov). We greatly appreciate your 
assistance. 
 
¶11. (U) Begin text of excerpted curriculum vitae. 
 
DINAH L. SHELTON 
 
EMPLOYMENT 
 
George Washington University Law School 
Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law (current) 
Research Professor, Aug. 2004 to present; 
Visiting Professor of Law, Jan. 2004 
 
University of Notre Dame Law School 
Professor of Law (1996-2004) 
Director of JSD Program in International Human Rights Law; 
Recipient of Reinhold Niebuhr Award for Social Justice, 2001 
 
Universite de Paris IX, Malakoff 
Professor Associe (Spring 2000) 
 
Santa Clara University School of Law 
Professor of Law (1975-1996) 
 
Stanford Law School and University of California, Berkeley 
Lecturer (1993-1994) 
 
University of San Diego School of Law 
Visiting Professor (Fall 1994) 
 
Universite Robert Schumann, Strasbourg 
Professor Associe (1991-1992) 
 
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 
Director, Office of Staff Attorneys (1987-1989) 
Supervising attorney for 37 staff lawyers and 13 assistants. 
Legal advisor, drafting opinions, motions, and bench 
memoranda. 
 
International Institute of Human Rights 
Professor of International and Comparative Human Rights Law 
(1980-2004); Director of Studies (1982) 
 
CLEO Institute, Hastings College of Law (1974-1978) 
Professor, California Civil Procedure 
 
Syracuse University School of Law 
Visiting Professor, Law and Education (1975) 
 
University of California - Davis, School of Law 
Visiting Lecturer (1975) 
 
Kent, Bradley, Burns, Kaplan & Williams 
Associate, San Francisco, CA (1973-1975) 
 
University of California, Boalt School of Law 
Staff Attorney, Childhood and Government Project (1973-1975) 
 
 
International Institute of Human Rights 
Associate (1970-1972) 
 
EDUCATION 
 
J.D. (1970) Boalt School of Law, University of California - 
Berkeley 
B.A. (1967) University of California - Berkeley 
University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1965-66 
Institute Bourguiba des Langues Vivants, Tunis, 1964 
 
BAR MEMBERSHIPS 
 
California, 1970; U.S. District Court (N.D. CA) 1974; U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1988 
 
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND ASSOCIATIONS 
 
American Bar Association, Committee on Reform of the UN 
Commission on Human Rights (2004) 
 
American Journal of International Law, Board of Editors, 
elected 2003 
 
Director, ACUNS Summer Workshop in International Law and 
 
STATE 00028833  004 OF 005 
 
 
International Relations, 2002, 2003 
 
Participant, Managing Global Issues Project, Carnegie 
Endowment for International Peace, 1998-2000 
 
International Law Consultant: WHO, UNEP, FAO, UNITAR, 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Regional 
Environmental Center (Budapest), Rockefeller Foundation 
(various: 1997-2004) 
 
Counselor, Alumni Association of the Hague Academy of 
International Law, 1997-2000 
 
American Society of International Law 
Counselor, 2003-present; Project Director, Compliance with 
Non-Binding Legal Norms 1996- 2000; Human Rights Planning 
Committee, 1998; Butcher Medal Committee, 1996, 1997; 
 
Co-author, Jessup International Moot Court Competition, 1997; 
Planning Committee, European Joint Meeting, 1995; Executive 
Council, 1980-1983; Author, Jessup International Moot Court 
Competition, 1986; Nominating Committee, 1987. 
 
Judge, International Court of Environmental Arbitration and 
Conciliation, elected 1997 
 
Environmental Law Commission, IUCN: World Conservation Union 
Chair, Sub-committee on Human Rights and the Environment; 
Rapporteur, International Covenant on Environment and 
Development; Adviser to the Hungarian Ministry of the 
Environment; IUCN Representative, Antarctic Treaty 
Consultative Meeting (Lima) 
 
Literature Editor, YBIEL, 1993 - 1998.  Reporter on human 
rights and the environment, 1997-present 
 
Executive/Advisory Councils (partial listing): 
Auditoria Democratica Andina, (Ecuador); 
Committee of Patrons, Redress International (London); 
Centro de Derechos Humanos et Media Ambiente (Argentina); 
International Institute of Human Rights (Strasbourg); 
Environnement sans frontire (Paris); 
Fondation Marangopoulos pour les droits de l'homme (Athens, 
Greece); 
Procedural Aspects of International Law Institute,  (USA.); 
Center for Civil and Human Rights, Notre Dame University 
 
Editorial Advisory Board, International Environmental Law 
Reports 
 
Fellow, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, 
Kellogg Institute for International Research, Nanovic 
Institute; 
 
Advisory Board, Notre Dame Press 
 
Societe franais de droit international (French Society of 
International Law), elected 1997 
 
International Law Section, American Association of Law Schools 
      Nominating Committee, 1984; Council, 1986; 
Vice-President, 1987; President, 1989; Law and the Arts 
Section, American Association of Law Schools:  Program 
Co-Chair, 1988; Human Rights Section, AALS, Steering 
Committee 2003 
 
Consultant, European Community, and the Council of Europe: 
authored studies on racial discrimination in the EC, 
treatment of the mentally ill in Western Europe 
AMPART, U.S.I.S., 1991 (Africa); 1992 (Tunisia, East Africa); 
1994 (Israel) 2001, 2002-03 (Ecuador) 
 
Congressional Testimony: 
- United States, United Nations Reform (1993) and Religious 
Liberty (1982); 
- Canadian Senate Human Rights Committee, ratification of 
American Convention on Human Rights (2002). 
 
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS 
 
Books: 
 
¶D. Shelton, Regional Protection of Human Rights (OUP, 2008). 
 
¶D. Shelton and A. Kiss, Guide to International Environmental 
Law (Brill Publishers, 2007). 
 
¶R. Lillich, H. Hannum, J. Anaya, D. Shelton, International 
Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy and Practice (Aspen 
Publishers, 2006). 
 
¶D. Shelton and A. Kiss, Judges Manual of International 
 
STATE 00028833  005 OF 005 
 
 
Environmental Law (UNEP, 2005). 
 
¶D. Shelton (ed. in chief), Encyclopedia of Genocide and 
Crimes against Humanity (3 vols., Macmillan Reference, 2004). 
 
¶D. Shelton, A. Kiss and K. Ishibashi, eds., Economic 
Globalization and Compliance with International Environmental 
Agreements (Kluwer, 2003). 
 
¶T. Buergenthal, D. Shelton and D. Stewart, International 
Human Rights in a Nutshell (West Publishers, 3rd ed. 2002). 
 
¶D. Shelton, ed., International Crimes, Peace and Human Rights 
(Transnational Press, 2000). 
 
¶D. Shelton, ed., Commitment and Compliance: The Role of 
Non-Binding Norms in the International Legal System (Oxford 
University Press, 2000).  Nominated for 2001 book prize of 
the American Society of International Law. 
 
¶D. Shelton, Remedies in International Human Rights Law 
(Oxford University Press, 1999, 2nd ed. 2005).  Certificate 
of Merit, American Society of International Law, 2000. 
 
¶D. Shelton and A. Kiss, The Future of International 
Environmental Law (United Nations Training and Research 
Institute, 1999, 2nd ed. 2006). 
 
¶T. Buergenthal and D. Shelton, Protecting Human Rights in the 
Americas:  Cases and Problems, (Engel Verlag, 4th rev. ed. 
1996.)  Book Prize, Inter-American Bar Association, 1982. 
 
¶D. Shelton and A. Kiss, International Environmental Law 
(Transnational Press, 1991, supp. 1994; 2nd edition 2000, 3rd 
edition 2004). 
 
¶D. Shelton and S. Frankowski, eds., Preventive Detention:  A 
Comparative And International Law Perspective (Nijhoff, 
Dordrecht, 1992). 
 
¶T. Buergenthal, R. Norris and D. Shelton, La Proteccion De 
Los Derechos Humanos en las Americas (Inter-American 
Institute of Human Rights 1984). 
 
¶T. Buergenthal and D. Shelton, Protecting Human Rights in the 
Americas:  Cases and Problems, (Engel Verlag, 1982). 
 
End text of excerpted curriculum vitae. 
CLINTON