Sonia Picado S.

Ms. Sonia Picado "is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights. She is a former member of Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from San José and former President of the National Liberation Party. In 1999, she led the International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor to study human rights situations there and presented report to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She was the Costa Rican Ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 1998 and the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights from 1984 to 1994. During 1988 to 1994, she also served as Judge and Vice-Chair of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

"Ms. Picado represented her country on the Experts Committee for the Promotion of Human Rights in Central America, Commission of European Communities from 1992 to 1994, after serving as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington DC from 1993 to 1994, as well as, in International Commission for the Recovery and Development of Central America from 1987 to 1989.

"Ms. Picado was the first woman elected in Latin America as the Dean of the Law School, University of Costa Rica in 1980. She also taught at Salzburg, Austria, Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, University of Dayton (Ohio), World University Service in Austria, Columbia University, and others." 


 * Member, Pacific Council.
 * International Advisory Board, Democracy Coalition Project
 * Advisory Board, Interights