Mogadishu – Marking Human Rights Day, the United Nations today commended Somalia for its recent achievements in promoting and protecting the rights of all Somalis.
Notable among these achievements in the past year was the signing of the Somali National Disability Rights Protection Act into law.
“Somalia can rightly take pride in the welcome and positive step forward with the Disability Rights Protection Act – it will serve to eliminate barriers to the full enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities and their full inclusion in society,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Acting Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan.
“It will also provide them with a legal framework for protection and support in terms of participation in public affairs and access to service opportunities,” he added.
The Federal Government of Somalia this year also worked with international human rights mechanisms such as the Human Rights Committee, which reviews how states implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, one of the key cornerstones of international law for protecting human rights.
The United Nations will continue its role of supporting the Somali government and civil society organizations through the Joint Programme on Human Rights – Phase II, which is the only programme of its type in Somalia and is aimed at the protection of human rights in Somalia through legal reforms, community empowerment, and institutional capacity building.
The United Nations is also working with Somali civil society through the Joint Programme to foster their awareness of human rights, and their capacity to engage with the government in meaningful and constructive ways to address challenges to the full enjoyment of human rights that the country faces.
Other work with civil society includes dialogues on human rights, and supporting them to amplify human rights messaging through sports, the arts and social media.
The theme of this year’s observance is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now,” with a focus on how human rights are a pathway to solutions, as they play a critical role as a preventative, protective and transformative force for good, particularly in times of crises. Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December – the day the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
