All reservations against human rights treaties should be cast aside

Dr Purna Sen, Head of the Human Rights Unit at the Commonwealth Secretariat, is encouraging member countries to sign up to major human rights treaties and remove any remaining reservations.

These treaties cover, among other rights, children’s rights, the rights of people with disabilities, migrant workers and the elimination of discrimination against women and against all forms of racial discrimination. They establish standards for practice and policy towards the realisation of rights for all.

“Human rights are a fundamental value of the Commonwealth. That value is not just an abstract concept. As members, governments accept that value and can promote it by accepting international standards, and applying them at home. That is what we as a team are here to help with,” Dr Sen said.

She noted that signing up to these treaties is only the first step. The Human Rights Unit offers assistance to states in actively ensuring that these conventions are fully met and implemented.

Dr Sen confirmed real progress has been made across the Commonwealth. In 2008 alone, eight Commonwealth countries – Australia, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Uganda – ratified major international human rights treaties.

She added that although there are 15 Commonwealth countries that are still to sign both 1966 Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, some are small states with capacity constraints which have real concerns over resourcing for ratification and implementation.

In order to help countries overcome these constraints the Secretariat offers support in helping them ratify these treaties. This support comes from technical advice and training; and by working with government officials responsible for legal and international co-operation. This assistance involves advising countries on how to go about signing up and ratifying the treaties and also crucially how they can achieve effective implementation of them.

A new Commonwealth Secretariat publication, ‘Human Rights in the Commonwealth: A Status Report’, offers a summary of how each Commonwealth country fares in terms of their acceptance of international human rights standards. It also offers examples from across member states of positive initiatives on the implementation of these standards. The report - the first of its kind - was launched to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 2008.

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Key Links:

• Human Rights
• Buy Online - Human Rights in the Commonwealth: A Status Report