Senator Kamran Michael, Federal Minister for Human Rights called upon all the stakeholders working in the field of human rights, rule of law and access to justice to collectively work towards achieving highest human rights standards in the country. As a practical step in this regard, the minister suggested to constitute a working group consisting of representatives from the government and civil society to review the existing work in rule of law and develop a framework of institutional integration and coordination. He was speaking as a chief guest at the event titled “Strengthening Rule of Law: Beyond EDACE” at a local hotel here on Wednesday.
The event was organized by Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI) to showcase the achievement of its civil society partners under the three-year Enhanced Democratic Accountability and Civic Engagement project that is concluding on September 30. Civil society organisations, part of the project, displayed their work on stalls through documentaries and publications.
Safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms is an essential and integral part of all democratic societies, human rights minister said. “We also understand that globally, the international image of countries is being increasingly associated with the state of their human rights.” He reiterated the Government’s resolve to promoting and protecting human rights of all the citizens as guaranteed in the Constitution.
An amount of PKR 750 million has been approved to put in place institutional mechanisms for realizing the rights proposed in the Action Plan. The amount shall be spent for human rights education, sensitization, awareness raising, research and communication, establishment of a human rights institute and an endowment fund for free legal assistance for poor victims of human rights violations. A National Task Force shall have oversight and monitoring in this regard, Mr. Michael said.
PREVIOUS NEXT
