Commission represented in Symposium on `Best Practices for National Institutions for Human Rights’
A Symposium on `Best Practices for National Institutions for Human Rights’ was held in Jakarta from 9 – 12 February 1999 where National Human Rights Institutions from Australia, India and Indonesia as well as non-governmental organisations from Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand participated. The Secretary General, Shri N.Gopalaswami represented the Commission in the Symposium. The focus of the Symposium was "Common Action for Human Right Rights: Common Action for NGOs and National Human Rights Institutions".
While endorsing the concept of human rights institutions as an additional and valuable mechanism for the promotion and protection of human rights, the Symposium welcomed the establishment of national human rights institutions in six countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It also called on governments of other countries of the region to initiate action towards the establishment of human rights institutions. Emphasizing the importance of NGOs in the promotion and protection of human rights, the Symposium called on governments of the region to freely permit the operations of such organizations in accordance with international human rights standards and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. It further called on the governments to consult and cooperate with non-governmental organizations through regular and meaningful mechanisms, including meetings.
The Symposium emphasized the separate but complementary roles of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations and asserted that the two sectors should cooperate closely for the promotion and protection of human rights.
It was strongly felt that National Institutions should work independently from governments and, particularly, free from political bias. However, governments should cooperate more effectively with national institutions and non-governmental organizations in the effort to promote and protect human rights.
The Symposium also observed that the education and empowerment of people in general and the vulnerable sections in particular is vital to preventing human rights violations. It considered that international human rights instruments be used as the basis for human rights education and recognized that human rights education should consist not only of transmitting knowledge but of creating human rights values within each individual that will eventually lead to actions in accordance with international human rights standards.
While endorsing the concept of human rights institutions as an additional and valuable mechanism for the promotion and protection of human rights, the Symposium welcomed the establishment of national human rights institutions in six countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It also called on governments of other countries of the region to initiate action towards the establishment of human rights institutions. Emphasizing the importance of NGOs in the promotion and protection of human rights, the Symposium called on governments of the region to freely permit the operations of such organizations in accordance with international human rights standards and the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. It further called on the governments to consult and cooperate with non-governmental organizations through regular and meaningful mechanisms, including meetings.
The Symposium emphasized the separate but complementary roles of national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations and asserted that the two sectors should cooperate closely for the promotion and protection of human rights.
It was strongly felt that National Institutions should work independently from governments and, particularly, free from political bias. However, governments should cooperate more effectively with national institutions and non-governmental organizations in the effort to promote and protect human rights.
The Symposium also observed that the education and empowerment of people in general and the vulnerable sections in particular is vital to preventing human rights violations. It considered that international human rights instruments be used as the basis for human rights education and recognized that human rights education should consist not only of transmitting knowledge but of creating human rights values within each individual that will eventually lead to actions in accordance with international human rights standards.