   The Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Convention of Belém do Pará) (1994) Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (1999) The Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (1999) 46. The American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) is the framework human convention of the OAS. It contains primarily civil and political rights similar to the ICCPR. Implementation Mechanisms 47. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the InterAmerican Court of Human Rights are the two organs that are mandated to monitor the implementation of the rights guaranteed under the Convention. The supervisory system provided by the Convention is legally binding only on the states parties to it. 48. The competence of the Inter-American Commission includes the power to:     Receive and investigate individual complaints or petitions alleging violations of the rights guaranteed under the American Declaration or the American Convention. There is no requirement of specific recognition of the competence of the Commission by the state concerned. Refer cases to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights under the American Convention and appear before the Court. Request advisory opinions from the Court on questions of interpretation of the American Convention. Monitor the human rights situation in member states, carry out country visits and publish special reports. 49. With respect to the individual complaints mechanism, the petitioner does not have to be the victim or persons/organisation acting on his/her behalf. Any ‘person or group of persons, or any non-governmental entity established in one or more member States’ may submit petitions to the Commission. 50. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights is the principal judicial organ established by the American Convention. The Court is a part time body composed of seven judges elected for a term of six years who may be re-elected once. It has its seat in San José, Costa Rica. 51. The Inter-American Court has both an advisory and contentious jurisdiction:  Advisory Jurisdiction: the Court’s Advisory Jurisdiction extends to requests for an advisory opinion submitted by all OAS member states, including those who are not parties to the American Convention or did not recognise the Court’s jurisdiction. The request 18