namely, the alleged victims of human rights violations, 19 the Commission20 and the States Parties to the Convention that have accepted its jurisdiction,21 thereby reinforcing the Court’s status as a judicial organ and, consequently, the most significant entity of a continental scope that has been established to safeguard human rights, Moreover, for this reason it is necessary to persist in consolidating and improving it, without exposing it to risks that could negatively affect this effort. 10. All the above, also taking into consideration that the Court, on the one hand, should execute its functions abiding by the principles of impartiality, independence, objectivity, political independence, equanimity, full equality before the law and justice, non-discrimination and absence of prejudices, characteristics inherent in all jurisdictional organs and, on the other hand, that the ultimate purpose of its task is to duly and opportunely safeguard the human rights of the presumed victims of violations of those rights. In other words, it should proceed bearing in mind that its functions are similar to those exercised, for example, by juvenile courts and labor courts, which are based, the former on the best interests of the child, and the latter on the protection of the worker, all within the framework of the administration of justice. 11. Based on the foregoing, and because the Convention is a treaty between States 22 and therefore establishes their obligations – but with regard to the persons subject to their respective jurisdictions23 – it can be concluded that the Court’s function is to fathom the intentions that they incorporated into the said treaty when signing it and, eventually, how those intentions should be understood vis-à-vis new situations. 12. This is why, in order to interpret the Convention, the Court has not only its text, but also other sources of public international law; that is, international custom, the general principles of law, and the unilateral legal acts of the States Parties and, if the States that appear before it have agreed, equity, and also, but as subsidiary means, case law, doctrine, and the legally binding resolutions of international organizations. 24 19 Supra, footnote 12. 20 Supra, footnote 13. Art. 25(1) of the Court’s Rules of Procedure: “Participation of the Alleged Victims or their Representatives. Once notice of the brief submitting a case before the Court has been served, in accordance with Article 39 of the Rules of Procedure, the alleged victims or their representatives may submit their brief containing pleadings, motions, and evidence autonomously and shall continue to act autonomously throughout the proceedings. 21 Supra, footnote 7. Art. 2(1)(a) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties: “Use of Terms. 1. For the purposes of the present Convention: (a) “treaty” means an international agreement concluded between States in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation.” 22 Art. 1: “1. The States Parties to this Convention undertake to respect the rights and freedoms recognized herein and to ensure to all persons subject to their jurisdiction the free and full exercise of those rights and freedoms, without any discrimination for reasons of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic status, birth, or any other social condition. 2. For the purposes of this Convention, "person" means every human being.” 23 Art. 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice: “1. The Court, whose function is to decide in accordance with international law such disputes as are submitted to it, shall apply: (a) international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting states; (b) international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law; (c) the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations; (d) subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law. 24 2. This provision shall not prejudice the power of the Court to decide a case ex aequo if the parties agree thereto.” This is the only international treaty-based provision that refers to the sources of public international law. It does not include unilateral legal acts or the legally binding resolutions of international organizations. 4