Joel Hernández was elected member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in June 2017 by the OAS General Assembly for the period 2018-2021. He was reelected for a second mandate in November 2021. During his tenure, he has served as President, rapporteur for the rights of persons deprived of liberty, rapporteur for rights of migrants and rapporteur for human rights defenders and justice operators of the IACHR. He holds a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a master's degree in international law from New York University School of Law. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and was a member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee for the period 2015-2018. He is President of the Mexican Branch of the International Law Association. In the Mexican foreign service he rose to the rank of ambassador and served in various positions. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Permanent Representative of Mexico to the OAS. He has been a guest professor on international law and international organizations at various institutions.
Joel Hernández will participate in the World Justice Forum working session Judges as Peacebuilders: Judicial Networks as Vectors of Judges’ Independence