By Edward Dankwah
Accra, July 26, GNA – Ghana is set to develop a National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights (BHR), to implement the guiding principles on business and human rights, which was unanimously adopted in July 2011.
The adoption of the NAP, which was a five-year plan, would enable Ghana to join African countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
Various countries were required to develop a NAP to give effect to the United Nation guiding principles on BHR.
In view of that the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) conducted a national baseline assessment to identify the gaps in the BHR regime.
Mr Clement Kadogbe, member of the NAP steering committee, said the Attorney General inaugurated an 18-member steering committee representing key stakeholders to develop a national action plan for Ghana to rejoin the few countries in Africa to have a NAP.
He said the steering committee had been to all the regions for consultations, to incorporate the views of all and sundry.
“The steering committee, believing firmly in the human rights-based approach, thought it wise to consult, and so having finished with our original consultation a month ago, the committee still felt that there is the need to contact some critical people to get their views as well,” he added.
Mr Victor Brobbey, Lead Anchor, NAP steering committee, indicated that in the last 10 years, Mr Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, developed an international legal regime to address rights violations by states.
He said Ghana over the last three years, had begun the process of responding to the human rights regime created by Kofi Annan, which was by developing a NAP on BHR to address areas in which businesses violated rights and to take steps to improve on the rights of the Ghanaian.
The lead anchor said the NAP would support businesses by making them aware of areas they needed to be responsive to as far as human rights was concerned.
Mr Brobbey said it would also make it easy for businesses to comply with their human rights obligations and make them more competitive internationally.
He said upon the completion of the NAP, there would be a sensitisation exercise at all levels within the business community and a committee which would focus on the more vulnerable groups in the society.
GNA