Washington D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) announces that the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) has elected Riyad Insanally as Commissioner. The IACHR would like to take this opportunity to welcome Commissioner Insanally and wish him every success as a member.
Commissioner Insanally studied Modern Languages and Latin American Studies and holds MA and MPhil degrees from the University of Cambridge, as well as a PhD from Harvard University. He has over 31 years of experience in multilateral diplomacy. From 2016 to 2021, he served as Guyana’s eighth ambassador to the United States of America and fourth permanent representative to the OAS, as well as ambassador-designate, nonresident, to Mexico.
During his time in office in Washington, DC, he held several senior positions within the OAS and the inter-American system, including serving as chair of the Permanent Council, the Inter-American Council for Integral Development, and the CARICOM Group of Ambassadors. Most recently, he served as head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the general elections in Saint Lucia, held on December 1, 2025. He received Guyana’s third highest award, the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH), in the 2019 National Honours, for “long and distinguished service in the field of diplomacy and international relations”.
Commissioner Insanally’s term will run through December 31, 2027. His candidacy was presented by the State of Guyana following the resignation of Dr. Arif Bulkan, who stepped down during his first term as commissioner after being appointed judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.
