Roberto de Figueiredo Caldas

Roberto de Figueiredo Caldas in the seminar "Diálogo between Cortes: the organization of human rights" at the Superior Tribunal de Justiça

Roberto de Figueiredo Caldas (Aracaju - Brazil, born July 29, 1962) is a judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (mandate from 2013 to 2018). He is also an attorney, partner and chairman of the Legal-Administrative Board of the Law Office Alino & Roberto e Advogados.

Current activities

• Vicepresident of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from 2014 to 2015.
• Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (mandate from 2013 to 2018);
• Attorney, partner and chairman of the Legal-Administrative Board of the Law Office Alino & Roberto e Advogados [1], that solely acts within pro-citizenship causes;
• Advocates before the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court and Superior Courts of Justice for over twenty five years, having argued a number of leading cases;
• Expert in Ethics, Human and Social Rights, as well as in Constitutional and Labour Law;
• Member of the Institute of Brazilian Attorneys, with a seat on the Standing Committee for Labour Rights since 1993;
• Lecturer and regular member of national legal public examination boards, including the ones for Judges and Public Prosecutors.

Main titles and awards

• Bachelor of Law, University of Brasilia (UnB), 1984;
• Doctor honoris causa, São Luís College, Maranhão (2010);
• Doctor honoris causa, Complexo de Ensino Superior de Santa Catarina – CECUSC, School of Social Sciences of Florianópolis (SC, 2010);
• Commander of the Order of Labour Judicial Merit, Brazilian Superior Labour Court (2003);
• Commander of the Dom Bosco Order of Merit, Brazilian Regional Labour Court of the 10th Region (2003);
• Grand Cross Order of Labour Merit of Sergipe, Brazilian Regional Labour Court of the 20th Region (2008).

Previous activities

Ad hoc Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Brazilian proceedings since 2007: Escher, Garibaldi, and Gomes Lund or Guerrilha do Araguaia. Member of the National Legal and Labour Amendment Commission of the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment - MTE (2003 - currently). Member of the Public Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Brazilian Republic Office (2006-2012). Councilman of the Council on Public Transparency and Corruption Combat – Office of the Comptroller General of Brazil - CGU / Office of the Presidency of the Brazilian Republic (2007 - 2012). Within the Brazilian Bar Association - OAB, Roberto was councilman of the National Social Rights Commission (2007 - 2010), General Coordinator of the Coordinating Committee on Combating Slave Labour (2010-2013) and of the Subcommittee on Combating Slave Labour of the National Committee on Human Rights (2004 - 2006), Chairman and Co-founder of the Committee on Slave Labour Combat (2002 - 2004) and was a member of the Commission for Legal Education and the Special Commission of the Attorneys Caucus, Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. Served as vice chairman, member, and co-founder of the National Social Rights Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (1999 - 2004). National Secretary-General of the National Commission for Defense of the Republic and Democracy of the Brazilian National Bar Association (2010 - 2013) and the Brazilian Bar Association’s Representative before the Superior Court of Labour (2002 - 2004). Member of the Joint Commission of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and of the Brazilian Association of Magistrates on the Brazilian Judiciary Amendment, generating a substantial portion of Constitutional Amendment n. 45/2004. Participated on the National Commission on the Elimination of Slave Labour (CONATRAE) of the Secretariat for Human Rights / Office of the Presidency of the Brazilian Republic (2003 - 2007 and 2010 - 2013) and of the Working Group on Labour and Union Amendment of the Economic and Social Development Council / Office of the Presidency of the Republic (2003 - 2004). Vice chairman Federal District of the Brazilian Association of Labour Attorneys – ABRAT (2002 - 2004). Roberto was councilman of the Federal District Brazilian Bar Association Section, in which he was the founder and the very first Chairman of the Commission on Social Rights (2001 - 2003).