A two-day introductory training on the Right to Participate in Public Affairs and the United Nations (UN) Participation Guidelines, opened, on Wednesday morning, at the Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, Port Louis. Some 30 Government Officials and technical staff from the public and private sectors as well as NGOs are participating.
The training is organised by the Human Rights Division under the aegis of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office for Mauritius and Seychelles. The training sessions are designed and led by experts from OHCHR as well as a national expert.
Several themes are on the agenda, namely: Human rights law and mechanisms; the legal and policy framework for participation in Mauritius; an introduction to the UN Participation Guidelines; discrimination; participation before decision-making; and the participation ladder: direct vs indirect participation.
In her address, the Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mrs Asha Burrenchobay, who intervened on behalf of Minister Alan Ganoo, recalled that the UN Participation Guidelines provide concrete recommendations on the measures necessary to ensure a conducive environment to public participation and to ensure that the public is involved at every stage of decision-making at national and supranational level.
The Guidelines, she underlined, also outline how the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right of access to information, the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association and the right to access to justice, are crucial to the enjoyment of the right to participate in public affairs.
The Senior Chief Executive also highlighted that the impacts of the global pandemic have presented constant challenges worldwide creating the dire need to recall the importance of human rights. With a view to recovering better, the right to participate in public affairs, also recognised as a fundamental right in international law, plays a crucial role in the promotion of democracy, the rule of law, social inclusion and economic development, she said.
Furthermore, Mrs Burrenchobay dwelt on Government’s determination to provide a human rights-based approach to the socio-economic and cultural development of the country so as to enable citizens to enjoy a good quality of life based on core values such as human dignity, respect, equality of treatment, economic empowerment and social justice. She added that Mauritius has acceded to almost all the core Conventions both at regional and international levels adding that besides the Constitution of Mauritius, the country has various legislations to safeguard the fundamental rights of an individual.
Also present on the occasion, the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Christine Umutoni, emphasised that participation enables the advancement of all human rights. She added that it plays a crucial role in the promotion of democracy, the rule of law, social inclusion, and economic development and is essential for reducing inequalities and social conflict. It is also important for empowering individuals and groups, and is one of the core elements of human rights-based approaches aimed at eliminating marginalisation and discrimination, she stated.
Acknowledging that while the responsibility and accountability for taking decisions ultimately rests with public authorities, Ms Umutoni pointed out that the participation of various sectors of society allows the authorities to deepen their understanding of specific issues, helps to identify gaps, as well as available policy and legislative options and their impact on specific individuals and groups, and balances conflicting interests.
By enhancing its capacity to ensure decision-making is participatory, she said, Governments will not only comply with its obligations under article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, but also ensure that their decision- and policy-making is more effective, accountable and transparent. This in turn will enhance the legitimacy of Government action and ownership by all members of society, she added.
