A TWO-DAY high-level dia­logue and capacity-building workshop for Parliament’s Human Rights Committee has been held in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.

It was organised by the United Nations Coordinator’s Office, in collaboration with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The objective of the workshop was to strengthen the capacity of the Committee to enhance governance, accountability, and the rule of law in Ghana.

At the opening ceremony, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Dr Joseph Whittal, commended Ghana’s 8th Parliament for establishing a dedicated Human Rights Committee.

He noted that the creation of the Commit­tee was made possible through the adoption of new Standing Orders and the support of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsley Bagbin.

According to him, the Committee was now well-positioned to work with CHRAJ on na­tional and international human rights issues.

Dr Whittal emphasized the need to build the Committee’s capacity to adopt a human rights-based approach to development, which promotes transparency, inclusiveness, and citizen participation.

He also urged the Committee to engage actively with Ghana’s international human rights obligations, particularly the 200-plus recommendations accepted during the most recent Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

He advocated for stronger collaboration among Parliament, CHRAJ, civil society, and UN agencies, and called on Parliament to support the National Mechanism for Report­ing and Follow-Up (NMRF) with adequate resources and legal backing.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Mr Zia Choudhury, called on Parliament to take a stronger lead in implementing and monitoring Ghana’s human rights commit­ments.

He noted that Parliament is not only central but indispensable in turning rights-based policies into action.

He commended the passage of the Affir­mative Action and Social Protection Bills as significant milestones but raised concerns about the slow pace in passing the Criminal Offence Amendment Act, 2023.

“The UN urge you to take swift action to end abuses against elderly women accused of witchcraft,” he said adding the existence of witch camps in Ghana was unacceptable in the 21st century.

Mr Choudhury reaffirmed the UN’s com­mitment to Ghana’s governance and human rights efforts and encouraged MPs to discuss key issues such as gender equality, child pro­tection, freedom of expression, and human rights budgeting.

The Chairman of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee, Mr Ernest Yaw Anim, underscored the importance of embedding human rights into national governance.

He emphasized that promoting accountabil­ity and the rule of law required coordinated efforts between government, civil society, and international partners.

He commended CHRAJ and the UN for organising the workshop and said the training was timely, coming after Ghana’s third-cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR), during which the country accepted 265 of 298 hu­man rights recommendations.

Mr Anim described the UPR as a call to ac­tion for Parliament to drive meaningful legisla­tive and policy changes that protect vulnerable populations.

 FROM AMA