The relevance and role of human rights mechanisms in times of crisis

I am a Costa Rican lawyer specialized in international human rights law. I received my law degree from the University of Costa Rica and my LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame. I worked for more than five years at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. I had experience in the Urgent Petitions and Actions Section of the UN Human Rights Committee and working with members of the Human Rights Committee. I coordinated Latin America for the CCPR Centre, worked on international litigation at IIRESODH, and worked with the German Development Cooperation Agency GIZ as a consultant. I am currently working with the UN Verification Mission in Colombia, in charge of monitoring the third pillar of the Mission, but in April I will start with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights as a consultant for the Follow-up Recommendations and Impact Monitoring Unit.

Mr. Vernon is a practicing attorney, licensed in Texas, Utah, and the District of Columbia, who advises and counsels clients on cross-border international and domestic transactions, international trade, and international franchising. He has taught seminars and spoken as a guest lecturer at law schools both in the US and in many other countries. Mr. Vernon has taken an active role in dealing with human rights issues both in the US and abroad. He is involved with Texas Appleseed, where he participates in the pro bono representation of juveniles in the state of Texas who were denied representation of counsel in crucial detention hearings. In addition, he is a member of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute.

Markus P. Beham is Assistant Professor at the Chair of Constitutional and Administrative Law, Public International Law, European and International Economic Law of the University of Passau, Germany, and an adjunct lecturer in international law at the University of Vienna, Austria. He holds a joint doctoral degree from the Université Paris Nanterre and the University of Vienna and a doctoral degree in history from the latter as well as an LL.M. degree from Columbia Law School in New York. Prior to returning to academia, Markus was part of the International Arbitration Group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, resident in the firm’s Vienna office. He continues to provide expert advice for private clients, law firms, NGOs, international organisations, and states on matters of international law, EU law, and arbitral procedure. He has acted in cases before ICSID, ICC, DIS, and ad hoc tribunals as well as before the Austrian Supreme Court.