The National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up (NMRF) held its meeting, today, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, at the Municipal Council of Port-Louis. He was assisted by the Senior Chief Executive of the Human Rights Division of the Ministry, Ms A. Burrenchobay. Conventions pertaining to the most vulnerable sections of the society, children, the disabled and the elderly as well as updates on reporting obligations and reports due for the year 2022 were at the fore of discussions.
Stakeholders in attendance were from, amongst others, the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Police Force, Prisons Department, and Statistics Mauritius. Representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as Parapli Rouz, Dis Moi, CEDEM and Collectif Urgence Toxida, and the Civil Society were also present.
In a statement, Minister Ganoo highlighted that the NMRF brings together different stakeholders from Ministries and Departments and NGOs to follow-up on all commitments pertaining to Conventions on Human Rights.
The Minister emphasised that Ministries submitted their inputs during the meeting and discussions focused on issues pertaining to children, the disabled, the elderly and all sections of the population that require protection. Mauritius, he stated, is an example in the African region at the level of the NMRF and this mechanism works really well and we meet regularly to exchange ideas on improvements that can be made, the ratification of Conventions and all issues that relate to the protection of human rights.
The NMRF is a unique inter-ministerial structure set up administratively for effective reporting and implementation of treaty obligations, engagement with the international and regional human rights systems and follow-up on the recommendations or decisions emanating from the Treaty Bodies, the Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review, Special Procedure Mandate Holders, Regional Human Rights Mechanisms and at the national level. The first meeting was held on 19 February 2018 and the present NMRF is the ninth meeting.
The NMRF’s approach is comprehensive and it engages broadly on all human rights, with all international and regional human rights mechanisms, and in following up on recommendations and individual communications emanating from all such human rights mechanisms.
