Government says it is committed to human rights

Gabon is strongly committed to human rights, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the peaceful resolution of differences, Justice Minister Pascal Desire Missongo said on Tuesday in Geneva. Speaking at the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Gabonese minister said his country had established a human rights ministry and promoted human rights through seminars. He said an inter-ministerial commission had been set up to address unfair laws, particularly those that discriminate against women. Missongo added that since political transition started only 10 years ago in some African countries, only some of them had made progress in promoting human rights. There was a discrepancy between the expectations of the people, the limitations of the government and the political process in many transitional countries, Missongo said.