Second ministerial conference on human rights opens

The second Ministerial Conference on Human Rights in Africa opened on Thursday in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, drawing representatives from 27 countries.

African Union (AU) Chairman Amara Essy officially opened the conference, which seeks to foster mechanisms of promoting and protecting human rights in Africa.

While expressing satisfaction at progress made so far, Essy highlighted shortcomings in the promotion of human and peoples' rights. He urged member states to honour their obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other human rights instruments to which they are party.

Major emphasis has been put on the evaluation of progress made in the implementation of the Grand Bay Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by member states of the Organisation of African Unity, as the AU was formerly known, in April 1999.

Reflecting on the tragedy that befell Rwanda in 1994, the deputy high commissioner for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on participants to come up with concrete measures and a future action plan to fight violations of human rights on the African continent.

"We must leave Kigali with a strong commitment for protection of human rights," Bertrand Ramchara said. "If we fail to come up with stronger objectives from this meeting, it will haunt the thousands of innocent lives that perished in this country."

Participants in the two-day conference described respect of human rights as indispensable for the maintenance of national, regional and international peace and security, and as one of the fundamental bedrocks for sustainable development. They also called for the swift establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, and for countries which had not yet established independent national human rights institutions to do so.

Conference participants also lamented that the rights of women and children remained insufficiently protected in many African countries, and called for an immediate ratification and adoption of the Draft Additional Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa, as well as of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

In an effort to strengthen its monitoring work, conference participants were considering how the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights could find sufficient human and financial support, as well as a suitable headquarters.

In a set of recommendations presented to the ministers, human rights experts urged member states to guarantee genuine independence, accessibility, and affordability of their judicial systems as a prerequisite for the entrenchment of the rule of law and democracy.

The conference would also be mapping strategies for protecting and promoting the rights of the most vulnerable groups, including refugees, internally displaced and disabled people, and persons with HIV/AIDS.

The recommendations are due to be adopted by the conference on Friday.