Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, Oct 20, GNA – The 14th Biennial Conference of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI) is underway in Accra.
The three-day conference, which is jointly hosted by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and NANHRI from October 18, to Friday October 20, assembled all 46 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) on the continent, as well as United Nations (UN) agencies, thematic experts, academia, Civil Society
Organisations, selected representatives of vulnerable population, and the business community.
Themed “Nurturing Responsible Business Conduct and Respect for Human Rights in Africa – The Role of African National Human Rights Institutions in Centering Human and People’s Rights in the Context of Business Operations and the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement”, the conference will among other things provide the necessary platform for NHRIs, and other critical stakeholders to deliberate on the situation of business and human rights in Africa.
It willl take stock of previous and existing engagements, initiatives, interventions, opportunities and challenges.
Speaking on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Dr Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi, the Outgoing Chairperson of NANHRI, said businesses must develop the best approach for human rights by directing their efforts and objectives towards fulfilling the needs and desires of the people.
Dr Mugwadi, who urged all African governments to give maximum support to their human rights institutions, said it was his desire to see more interaction between businesses, CSOs, and NHRIs in enforcing human rights in general.
“We have to ensure that Member States are developing national action plans that respect human rights everywhere,” he said.
For his part, Mr Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner of CHRAJ, and Chairperson elect for NANHRI, said CHRAJ had put together a draft action plan that was being fine-tuned to address the gaps that hindered human rights.
He said, the action plan, when implemented would bring back the confidence of the populace in the Commission.
The conference is convened in accordance with article 56 of the NANHRI constitution.
It mandates the Network to meet every two years to address human rights issues of collective concern as agreed by the members, which often culminates into the adoption of far reaching declarations and
action plans for implementation at both the national and regional levels.
It is expected that a declaration on the role of the African NHRIs in centering human and people’s rights in the context of business operations and AfCFTA will be adopted at the end of the conference.
GNA