|
The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights has offered to give technical expertise to Malawi to help in preparing the country’s state of human rights reports before the commission’s meeting in November.
Commissioner Vera Chirwa, reacting to government’s indication that it wants to start submitting the reports, said there was ample time for government to prepare the reports ahead of the commission’s meeting.
“I am happy that government has finally seen the importance of submitting state reports. The African Commission on Human and People’s rights would be willing to assist government with expertise before we, as a commission, meet in November,” said Chirwa.
“It is not just the question of submitting the reports for the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but to the African Commission of Human and People’s rights as well. Charity begins at home,” said Chirwa.
Government on Wednesday conceded it has not been submitting state of human rights reports to various supervisory bodies established under the treaties to which it is party, including the United Nation’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Solicitor General and Secretary for Justice Steve Matenje, opening a meeting in Lilongwe aimed at planning for government to start submitting the reports, said the omission suggested lack of commitment to fulfil “our international reporting obligations.”
“The Ministry of Justice has, therefore, organised this workshop so that we can all work together to identify Malawi problems, needs and future requirements in the process of State Party reporting and agree the measures for our country to be able to fulfil its State Party reporting obligations,” said Matenje.
Forty years after independence, including ten years of democracy, Malawi has never reported to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights the state of human rights in the country, prompting the commission’s top official to implore the new administration to “redeem the country from this shame and international ill repute”.
Matenje said the common feature of all those treaties is the requirement for the international supervision of the domestic implementation of treaty obligations, explaining that the system of international supervision is intended to monitor the full and effective implementation of international human rights norms and standards at the national level.
“There is no doubt that the process of compiling state reports can be tedious. However it should be seen as an occasion for achieving a variety of objectives. It should be regarded as an integral part of a continuing process designed to promote and enhance respect for human rights and not an isolated event absorbing bureaucratic resources,” he said.
|
