Human rights cardinal in governance of any country, Zambia says

A human rights training workshop -- being attended by police instructors from six Commonwealth countries in Southern Africa -- opened in Lusaka, Zambia, on 27 November 2006.

Organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit, the four-day programme aims to assist police instructors in building the basic foundations of accountable and effective community policing into their training regimes. It will also focus on international human rights standards and practices applicable to policing.

Zambia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Lt-Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha, inaugurated the workshop, stating it would enhance his Government's commitment to democratic reform.

“Human rights are cardinal in the governance of any country. Therefore, the New Deal Government attaches great importance to such training, particularly when it comes to training of our law enforcement officers,” Lt-Gen Shikapwasha said.

The Secretariat’s Head of Human Rights, Rabab Fatima, noted that human rights would not be seen as credible or effective if they were not translated into practical manifestations that relate to police activities.

“The message we hope to impart is that human rights in policing makes sense -- firstly, as a matter of moral, legal and professional principle and secondly, as a practical tool,” Ms Fatima said.

The Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation workshop is partly sponsored by the British High Commission in Lusaka. It is being attended by senior police trainers from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

The workshop is part of the Secretariat’s pan-Commonwealth human rights programme for police officers and has reached 19 countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean. In 2007, it will be conducted in Commonwealth Caribbean and Pacific countries.

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• Zambia Country Profile
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