Mozambican Bar Association calls for policies aimed at promoting social equality

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Mozambican Bar Association calls for policies aimed at promoting social equality

12:34 CAT | 06 Sep 2025

Photo: O País

The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) has called on the government to ensure effective citizen participation in development through policies aimed at promoting social equality.

According to OAM Chairperson, Carlos Martins, who was speaking on Thursday at a colloquium entitled “The Right to Development as a Human Right”, which brought together representatives of public and private institutions, political parties, civil society, and national and international experts, Mozambique has an obligation to escape underdevelopment.

“We need clear policies and a national commitment that transcends presidential terms. Mozambique is a country rich in natural resources and has enormous economic and tourism potential, including 2,700 kilometers of coastline, transport corridors, and arable land”, he said.

Martins explained that the right to development, enshrined in international instruments and in the Mozambican Constitution, “aims to constantly improve the well-being of the entire population, based on their active participation and the fair distribution of the benefits.”

The government, he said, must implement structural solutions to strengthen the economy and family finances, attracting domestic and foreign investment and promoting private initiative, while the State fulfils its regulatory role to prevent social imbalances.

He also said that peace and national security are crucial for development, claiming that the Islamist terrorism plaguing the northern province of Cabo Delgado “causes displacement, worsens subsistence conditions, and forces the government to divert resources that could improve the lives of the population.”

Martins also condemned human rights violations in essential sectors, highlighting the lack of access to quality healthcare and education, and the gross overcrowding in Mozambican prison. He pointed out that the prison system “houses over 25,000 inmates while its capacity is only 8,000.”

For her part, the chairperson of the OAM’s Human Rights Commission, Ferosa Chaúque, said that the quality of life of citizens has been blighted by “extreme poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and health deficiencies, which constitute a major obstacle to the right to development”.

Source: AIM