Bahrain: Human rights action plan signed
The UN will provide support to Bahrain to establish a Human Rights Commission, as part of a five point action plan signed this month.
Bahrain has signed a five-point action plan with the United Nations that aims to put human rights at the top of the country's agenda.
The project includes compiling a database of statistics surrounding the controversial issue to improve transparency and promote the awareness of civil liberties.
It features a pledge for Bahrain to fulfil the commitments to sign and implement several treaties and conventions included in its Universal Periodic Review report submitted during its election to the UN Human Rights Council.
Capacity building of human rights issues among government and civil institutions and the promotion of a human rights-based approach to development are also part of the deal.
Meanwhile, the UN will provide support for the government's plan to set up a Human Rights Commission.
Bahrain is believed to be the first country in the Gulf to have signed such an agreement with the UN and one of only a few nations worldwide. An initial budget of US$1.2 million has been set aside for the project, which will run for three-and-a-half years.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna and UN Development Programme resident representative Sayed Aqa signed the deal at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Manama. Dr Al Baharna said the agreement would make a substantial difference to the human rights situation in Bahrain.
"We have to show we are serious and are putting our actions where our words are," he said."Human rights is about all aspects of human life and with the database we are trying to establish something that is credible and so we can know what is going on.
"For example, we may want to know how many traffic accidents there have been and if there is a problem we can try and rectify it."
Dr Al Baharna said a committee made up of government and civil society representatives related to human rights will be set up to follow the implementation of the project.
Mr Aqa revealed a delegation from the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights would visit Bahrain in the coming days to help officials implement the project. He said one of the most important parts of the agreement would be compiling statistics on a database.
"The purpose is to carry information on human rights related issues in Bahrain, whether it is treaties the country has signed and its obligations and how it is enforcing them through laws," said Mr Aqa. "It will also include any concerns and comments in terms of violations and non-implementation."
"What is happening now is people are preparing reports based on either their own views or rumours. But here you will have a whole set of factual information."
Mr Aqa said the promotion of a human rights-based approach to development was also crucial.
"All projects either in a negative or positive way affect human rights, whether building a road or establishing a factory," he said.
Date: 11 July 2008
Source:
Gulf Daily News
