As the fourth meeting of the East African Community's (EAC) Forum of National Human Rights Commissions closed in Nairobi, Kenya, last weekend delegates have appealed to member states to respect human rights in order to foster the region's social, economic and political development.

Whereas the first EAC Plan of Action on Promotion and Protection of Human

Rights was adopted in 2008 for a period of three years, the Nairobi meeting observed that most activities and programmers stipulated in the Action Plan had not been implemented due to various reasons.

They include inadequate funds, lack of responsibility centers and other coordination hitches. Joint recommendations were issued to the Council, with calls on partner states to institute mechanisms that ensure tabling and prompt debating of human rights reports by the national parliaments.

“Partner states should also make budgetary provisions within their annual budgets to facilitate the activities of the EAC Forum of National Human Rights Institutions,” read the recommendations in part.

The meeting urged the EAC member states to "effectively adopt and implement EAC protocols" to address problems of bad governance and human rights abuses in the region.

The partner states were also asked to expeditiously conclude the EAC Draft Bill of Rights, Draft Protocol on the extended jurisdiction of the EACJ and Draft Protocol on Good Governance.

Partner States, the delegates recommended, should submit annual reports of National Human Rights Commissions to the EAC Secretariat for proper coordination and information sharing.

According to a report availed to the Independent East African News Agency (EANA), the delegates recommended that the EAC secretariat should develop programmers that regularly bring together human rights institutions, security agencies and other institutions of good governance.

There is need for the EAC secretariat to develop a tool to monitor the status of partner states’ ratification and domestication of regional and international instruments on human rights, they recommended.

Speaking at the opening of the plenary session, Deputy Secretary General (DSG) in Charge of Political Federation, Beatrice Kiraso, reminded delegates that human rights are central in the social, economic and political development of the region.

“Successful integration will be achieved when East Africans feel that their rights are not infringed upon,” she said.

Kiraso commended partner states’ efforts in promotion and protection of human rights.

She, however, noted that still there were many reports of deficit on adherence to human rights from all Partner States, which called for attention.

The deputy secretary-general expressed gratitude on the stage where the draft EAC Bill of Rights has reached in terms of national consultations and called upon expeditious conclusion of the draft Bill.

The fourth Meeting of the Forum for National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) was convened in accordance with the EAC Calendar of Activities for the period January- June 2012.

All partner states attended the meeting with participants drawn from ministries of EAC Affairs, national Parliaments, ministries of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Attorney General’s Chambers as well as ministries responsible for human rights and civil society organizations.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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