CPLP: Mozambique defends coordinated action to protect human rights

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CPLP: Mozambique defends coordinated action to protect human rights

8:32 CAT | 07 Jul 2023

Photo: Ministério da Justiça, Assuntos Constitucionais e Religiosos

Mozambique’s minister of justice, constitutional and religious affairs called on the Community of Portuguese -Language Countries (CPLP) on Wednesday to act together to protect human rights, noting that the states of the organisation face challenges in this area.

“We consider that the strengthening of multilateralism in the CPLP will allow the establishment of a greater balance of power between countries by opening up possibilities for us to act jointly on certain international issues, in terms of human rights,” said Helena Kida.

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Kida was speaking at the opening of the CPLP Global Event on the Revitalisation of Human Rights Mechanisms, which is being held today and Thursday in Maputo.

Kida said that the challenge of the member countries of the organisation is to reaffirm the commitment to the contents of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aiming at the preservation of peace and international security as fundamental values for the welfare of citizens.

In this sense, the exchange and sharing of experiences between the member states of the CPLP on their involvement with the UN human rights mechanisms should be intensified in order to identify common challenges and share good practices in this field.

The minister stressed the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in protecting people’s dignity in a year in which this instrument marks 75 years of existence.

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“We reiterate that the principles and values enshrined in its provisions must be constantly reaffirmed,” she stressed.

Abigail Noko, the regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Southern Africa, said that the protection of these values should not boil down to a theoretical commitment, and it is the obligation of states to put these values into practice.

“These treaties [on human rights] are not abstract legal documents but find their meaning in the daily lives of all human beings,” Noko said.

Conventions that protect human dignity, she continued, are essential for the promotion of peace and security, development and human rights.

The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an important moment for all countries to recognise how human rights have contributed to building resilient, prosperous and equal societies, she added.

“It is also a moment to recommit ourselves to strengthening the human rights architecture at the national and international levels, including through the establishment of national implementation, reporting and monitoring mechanisms, which are drivers of sustainable development,” Abigail Noko emphasized.

Source: Lusa