Commonwealth increases human rights awareness
Author: Jarvis Matiya
Article Date: 13 Nov 2007
Jarvis Matiya anticipates the first meeting of the Commonwealth National Human Rights Institutions Forum
Later this month, there will be a flurry of activity in Kampala, Uganda, where the biennial Commonwealth Heads of the Government Meeting (CHOGM), is taking place. As well as the CHOGM, there will also be a series of other events taking place which will highlight work within the Commonwealth.
One of these events is the Commonwealth National Human Rights Institutions Forum Meeting -- the first of its kind -- which is jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit (HRU) and the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Strengthening the capacity of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) to operate competently and independently is one of the HRU’s major objectives. In February this year, the HRU, organised a Commonwealth Conference of National Human Rights Institutions in London, which established the Commonwealth Forum for National Human Rights Institutions. The first meeting of this Forum is scheduled for 19 November in Kampala, Uganda.
For this Forum, the HRU aims to bring together Human Rights Commissioners, Senior Officials and other stakeholders who will deliberate on the report of the Steering Committee -- that discusses issues of the Forum -- as mandated by the Commonwealth Conference of National Human Rights Institutions.
The HRU is aiming for the Forum to serve as a platform for Human Rights institutions to share experiences and build a common voice to increase awareness of human rights. In addition, it is anticipated that the Forum will discuss specific thematic, institutional and other substantial areas of concern to the NHRIs, which will be passed on to the Heads of Government in Kampala. The Forum will also assess strategies to enhance its political leverage
The HRU will also launch two of its publications at the Forum, namely, ‘A Comparative Study on the Mandates of National Human Rights Institutions across the Commonwealth’ and the ‘Commonwealth Model National Plan of Action on Human Rights’. These publications fall in line with the best practice guidelines published by the HRU and are intended to assist Commonwealth countries increase understanding and effectively promote human rights.
Jarvis Matiya is an advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit