Prof. Nienke Grossman, co-director of the University of Baltimore’s Center for International and Comparative Law, was reelected to a second term on the Inter-American Juridical Committee (IAJC) at the 54th OAS General Assembly in Asuncion, Paraguay, on June 28, 2024. Grossman is the first woman and the first Latina nominated by the United States and elected to serve on the committee, and one of only eight women to serve on the committee since 1942.
The committee serves the Organization of American States in an advisory capacity and promotes the progressive development and codification of international law. Its members are distinguished international law experts from across the Inter-American region. Grossman was elected to the panel in January 2024 and sought reelection to a full four-year term.
OAS leadership cited Grossman for her knowledge and experience as an international law scholar and advisor on a wide range of international law topics, including her expertise in issues involving women and international law. “I am honored to have been nominated by the United States, and elected by OAS member states, to serve on the IAJC,” says Grossman. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the committee to provide effective and useful advice on juridical matters to the OAS, and to working with States to advance the rule of law in the region.”
The United States’ support for her candidacy and that of many other women elected to international bodies in the past year shows a commitment to advancing policies that promote gender equality and empower women within the OAS and beyond. These efforts to support her election also advance Sustainable Development Goal 5.5, which seeks to ensures women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.