Historical background

The MESECVI was created in October 2004 by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States on the basis of the mandates established in the aforementioned Convention, with the objective of contributing to the consolidation of the objectives set forth therein and establishing a system of technical cooperation among the States Parties.

It has two bodies:

The Conference of States Parties is composed of the Competent National Authorities, each State Party to the Convention appoints an authority to participate in this body, which, in most cases, are the highest authorities of the country in the area of women’s rights, such as the Ministries of Women’s Affairs.

The Committee of Experts (CEVI) is the technical body of the MESECVI, responsible for the analysis and evaluation of the Convention implementation process. It is made up of independent experts appointed by each of the States Parties to the Convention and they perform their functions in their personal capacity.

Thus, the MESECVI is a systematic and permanent multilateral evaluation methodology, based on a forum for exchange and technical cooperation between the States Parties to the Convention and a Committee of Experts, which also provides important standards to help guarantee women’s rights.

What does this mean?

The MESECVI is the guardian of compliance with the Belém Do Pará Convention. Its task is to monitor that the States comply with the obligations derived from the Convention and guarantee women the rights it recognizes.

• It is a methodology: this means that it uses a set of procedures, such as the system of indicators, with which it examines reality to obtain information on the performance of the States in complying with the Convention. The methodology is used to carry out this research effectively and achieve the desired results.
• It is evaluative: it means that it observes the performance of the States and analyzes the progress of the situation of women and their right to live a life free of violence. It reaches conclusions and seeks ways to demonstrate that these conclusions are well-founded and true.
• It is multilateral because it involves multiple actors: the 32 States, the Committee of Experts, Civil Society, and the Secretariat.
• It is systematic because it relates isolated facts and formulates approaches that unify various dispersed elements into a new totality and synthesizes it.
• It is permanent because, through evaluation and follow-up rounds, it is in constant operation.
• It is of exchange because it is based on a dialogue between the mechanism and the States.
• It is technical cooperation because the Mechanism accompanies the States and advises them on, for example, the drafting of laws and regulations and the design of public policies or strategies that contribute to progress in guaranteeing a life free of violence for women.