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UN rights campaigner calls for Action
Tuesday, 11 May 2010 22:25
“What we need today is to go beyond commitment to human rights and speak actions,” said Patrice Ernest Vahard from the
United Nation Office for West Africa (UNOWA). Vahard was speaking on behalf of the United Nation System Representative in The Gambia at the opening forum of the participation of NGOs
at the 47th Ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) at Kairaba Beach Hotel, last Week end. He made this remark while dilating on the human rights values and the need to be action oriented in preserving, promoting and protecting such rights. The UN right advocate responded to queries as to whether human rights are imported from the West or they could be experienced in Africa.
He started by recalling that in 1993 his office responsible for human rights was established as the focal point within the United Nation System to reclaim the centrality of human rights.
“In 2000, there was the Millennium Conference to reclaim the fact that human right is key. The UN went on to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through a millennium declaration containing six human rights goals”, explained Vahard.
He then indicated that there is the need to go beyond commitment to human rights and speak actions. He made reference to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) which was founded in 1963, with the pledge that human rights would be the promise that Head of States would give us.
“I think there is no other compromise. What we deserve today is human rights and what we need to live for the next generation is human rights and that is why we gathered at this forum,” he said.
He expressed the need for the NGOs forum to be given the prominence that it deserves, pointing out that it should not be just a French gathering or civil societies who like to be together like young camels causing troubles. “It is essential that we create the platform where NGOs and member states and intergovernmental institutions will listen to the voice of Africa,” the United Nation System Representative told participants.
Mr. Vahard upheld that among Africa’s major challenges is that it was at a cross-road of democracy, where, as he put it, “elections have turned to be a nightmare. Even the simple enrollment, to count who should be, who have the right to vote or not to vote becomes a nightmare.”
“Where do we stand now?” he asked.
He added, “governance has become an issue. That is, while we pledge that it is important that we listen and that we carry forward the agenda that we have propagated during electoral campaign, when people claim it, it becomes an issue.
On women’s rights, Vahard recollected pledges made in 1970, after the independence era, to see that Africa have seen the important key role that women play in development.
Forty years later on, where do we stand, he asked again, stressing that Africa still have the 1325 women participation in peace and security, three MDGs to demonstrate and convince that it is important that we bring women along.
On the looming trend of child soldier in some war-torn countries, he indicated that child soldiers and identity based exclusion among others are major challenges on the continent.
He said that today the question of where do we stand and how do we move forward remains well in place. He further asked whether: “do we continue to evolve in isolation, it is fair sustaining the debate that the West is attempting to impose human rights values on us - what do we think could be our position in repositioning African Union agenda?”
He said in January next year, the co-values of the African Union values will be on the table, making reference to the co-value of the formation of union, “that we will not have a union of African states, but union of African people.
“I don’t want to exclude or put on one side African states and on the other side, the people of Africa. I think each and everyone of us are here because of our belonging to the continent of Africa. How do we contribute to that? If there is any solution to that, I think that is what we should be carrying on with,” he stated.
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Comments
The worst is they found us in our own land and we have to fight to regain our land. Where are our moral heritage? Now the worst they hold big conferences, agree on treaties and protocols that is only exercise on African and Asian countries. The worst offenders of human rights are them. Wars every where, secret detentions every where and in all the wars of Africa it's them sponsoring in exchange of our valuable resources. How can we trust the UN (Human Right) sitting and watching people feeding through tunnels, invasion of lands on daily basis, children denied education,innoc ent people killed every minute in a larger scale, bombing of UN facilities and condemning were only one die is sentenced. If we are to address human right issues we must start from the root. We must treat every country equal. We must make sure the institution serve the truth and not the interest of a country. When others kill is fight against terrorism and others is considered brutality?
it always means the majority. In an election everyone has the right to elect your choice but at the end of the day it's the majority whose rights stand. Does this mean that the few whose right fail to stand should now be bent on undermining governments? This is what the African continent is witnessing and instead of the UN standing by the truth, it is bent on double standards and wanting to make two rights stand which is impossible. Africa was OK when it was called the dark continent with the chiefs ruling. Courts were highly respected with no double standards. Even before these protocols and treaties were agreed and signed between 1945 to 1984, Africa already has it's respectable morals and values that unite an average African. They came as missionaries, found us and colonize us. They say we are a dark continent and anything they found with us was disrespected and abandoned. They started by introducing their languages, demarcating borders
Critically looking at all the 5 major UN legal instruments that exist to define and to guarantee the protection of human being, do we have to blame our governments for the violations? A million times "NO", to make sure our rights are protected, we must attach responsibilitie s to every right we claim. The word democracy might be an English word that even in our African languages
Mr. Vahard couldn’t have put it better. His views here are honest analysis of a very thorny issue, human rights which are mostly promised when ascending to leadership but broken by most people when in lead. Whilst some will be murdered, harassed/caged, we are all entitled to contribute our collective efforts in our endeavour for societal freedom which is the bed rock of stable & civilised societies.
“...elections have turned to be a nightmare. Even the simple enrollment, to count who should be, who have the right to vote or not to vote becomes a nightmare...governance has become an issue. That is, while we pledge that it is important that we listen and that we carry forward the agenda that we have propagated during electoral campaign, when people claim it, it becomes an issue"...further asked whether: “do we continue to evolve in isolation, it is fair sustaining the debate that the West is attempting to impose human rights values on us - what do we think could be our position in repositioning African Union agenda?”...don’t want to exclude or put on one side African states and on the other side, the people of Africa. I think each and everyone of us are here because of our belonging to the continent of Africa. How do we contribute to that?..."
... continues...
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