as the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the protection of a number of rights in this category. A growing number of the cases brought before the IAHRS by the Commission openly assume Article 26 of the Convention to be a primary source of autonomous ESCER obligations, which once again demonstrates that ESCER justiciability is seen as a consolidated fact by interAmerican society. I would also emphasize that the eventual arrival of some of these cases before the Court will reinforce the ongoing evolution of inter-American case law on the matter. 88. In addition to active participation in contentious cases, another notable form of participation for individuals and civil society groups in the IAHRS is via amici curiae. These contributions have been especially noteworthy in the Court's rulings on Article 26, in which a substantial part of this pluralistic group of interpreters of the Convention can be seen supporting the direct justiciability of ESCER. In the case at hand, for example, the Court was able to rely on valuable contributions by researchers from the Practicum on the International Protection of Human Rights at Boston College Law School, who highlighted that vulnerable groups have particular needs that must be addressed by states to guarantee access to work without discrimination, and that this compliance is immediately enforceable.63 89. It should also be noted that in addition to considering the existing peculiarities and dynamics of the IAHRS, the Court's actions take place as part of a dialogue with the universal human rights protection system, and therefore, the Court cannot ignore the reality of international ESCER protection and promotion mechanisms. As César Rodríguez Garavito indicates, regardless of the peculiarities of Latin American legal thought, which is based on the social reality in which it develops, “intellectual isolation” by turning away from the legal world must not be the approach.64 The dynamic seen in the UN system is precisely a movement toward the justiciability of ESCER. The Inter-American Commission, for its part, has a broad agenda regarding ESCER. At the beginning of this century, the Commission tried to promote defense of these rights based on Article 26 of the Convention, as can be seen in the report on the case of Miltón García Fajardo et al. regarding Nicaragua (2001).65 To go into further depth in this area, in 2014, the Special Rapporteurship on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights ("REDESCA") was created. It has contributed greatly to furthering the discussion on protecting ESCR in the IAHRS and to drafting standards for its organs on the scope of their protection. 90. The Commission’s mandate in the IAHRS is one of the strongest indicators of the existence of an open society of interpreters of the Convention, characterized by dialogue between the recipients of the norms of the Convention, by pluralism, and by democratic ideals, to the extent that this body develops its activities and formulates its recommendations in direct contact with the other agents active in the Latin American network. The work done by the Commission and its special rapporteurs in gathering information on the situation of ESCER in the region is commendable insofar as it helps elucidate the continent’s specific needs and contributes to improving the mechanisms for protecting them. 91. It is my contention that states’ involvement in the agenda of the Court and the Commission and the participation of non-institutional actors work to refute 63 Amicus Curiae Practicum on the International Protection of Human Rights, Boston College Law School, Case of Guevara Díaz v. Costa Rica, pg. 22. GARAVITO, César Rodríguez. “Un nuevo mapa para el pensamiento jurídico latinoamericano.” In: GARAVITO, César Rodríguez (ed.), El derecho en América Latina: Un mapa para el pensamiento jurídico del siglo XXI, Buenos Aires: Siglo Veintiuno Editores, 2011. pg. 16 64 Cf. IACHR, Report 100/01, Case 11,381, Milton García Fajardo et al. regarding Nicaragua, October 11, 2001. (para. 95 and following). 65 17