MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS
The Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Institutional Reforms, in collaboration with the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Southern Africa office), is currently holding a 3-day workshop on ‘State Party Reporting to Treaty Bodies’.
“The aim of the next three days is to enhance the capacity of Mauritius on engagement with human rights mechanisms particularly as it relates to reporting and implementing treaty body recommendations”, says Ms Abigail Noko, Acting Head of the Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for Southern Africa, at the opening of the workshop this morning. According to her, ratification and implementation of human rights treaties demonstrate a State party’s intention to comply with international norms and standards and to be held accountable for adherence to these standards. Once a State ratifies a treaty, it has an obligation to report periodically.
“Reporting is therefore essential to advancing human rights which must be timely, meaningful, coordinated, participatory and objective. It also enables governments to review laws and policies, collect data, monitor progress in treaty implementation, raise human rights awareness, and create an opportunity for national dialogue”, she added.
Ms Noko commended Mauritius for ratifying seven core international human rights treaties (CERD, ICCPR, CAT, ICESCR, CEDAW, CRC and CRPD). She also commended Mauritius for efforts made over the past four years to submit overdue reports to treaty bodies.
The Minister of Justice, Honorable Maneesh Gobin, who participated at the opening ceremony of the 3-day training, affirmed that Mauritius is currently up to date with its reporting obligations under the seven core United Nations treaties on human rights. The country has successfully gone through the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) which was adopted at the 40th Human Rights Council in March 2019.
The Honourable Minister highlighted the fact that Mauritius has been commended for the progress made so far and that a series of recommendations to enhance human rights in our country have been put to us.
“However, the implementation of those measures in a holistic manner remains a challenge and all stakeholders need to work as a team and engage productively with each other to live up to our obligations. Although we had the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow Up as the national mechanism to assist us in the reporting process, the need is felt to strengthen the capacity of its members to have a holistic approach to the whole system and situate their crucial role in the mechanism”, he said.
* NOTE: A series of training have been planned for NMRF members, starting with this 3 day-workshop which will be followed by 2 other workshops in May. The 2nd workshop will be on the 4 key capacities with particular focus on coordination and information management capacities and the development of a plan to implement recommendations, while the 3rd one will be on the management of the information through the use of the National Recommendation Tracking Database.
The Ministry has also planned a half day workshop on the 4th May 2019, in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission, for the Supervising Officers and Permanent Secretaries of Ministries to enhance their awareness of our Reporting obligations and to ensure that members of the NMRF have the necessary support at the highest administrative level in their respective Ministries/ Departments to exercise fully their role on the NMRF.
Posted by Minority Voice
on Apr 30 2019. Filed under Economie.
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