NAYO Chairperson Statement UN OHCHR Forum

OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (OHCHR)

FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES FROM THE 29 TO THE 30^th OF NOVEMBER 2011 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND ;( FOUTH SESSION) PRESENTATION ON MINORITY WOMEN AND GIRLS THE RIGHTS TO EDUCATION (Agenda item 3) FOCUS ON NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS (Recommendation 57)

BY MISHECK GONDO

NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH ORGANISATIONS (NAYO )

Madam Chair

Zimbabwe is composed of various minority and indigenous groups that comprise of Tonga, Nambyia, Chewa, Shangani, and Kalanga among others, and as an organization we work with all these groups.

Madam Chair, we are in full support of thematic recommendation 57 which encourage National human rights institutions to Play a central role in ensuring the provision of human rights education for all majority and minority communities in accordance with the plan of action of the World Program for Human Rights Education, which includes information relating all the rights of minority women and girls

I want to draw attention to a particular obstacle faced by both minorities and majority groups in Zimbabwe; there is lack of adequate knowledge about rights and freedoms, this is as a result of the government hesitation to provide human rights education to the communities.

We acknowledge the strides made by our government in ratifying treaties such as Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), International Covenant on Economic, Social Cultural Rights (ICERCR), Covenant on Rights of the Child, International Convention on Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and other instruments at the regional and sub regional level.

The government has, through Constitutional Amendment No 19 of 2009 established the Zimbabwean Human rights Commission in order to enhance the protection and promotion of human rights and the Commission is yet to do their job as it awaits the enactment of the relevant laws which is still under debate.

However, the government has not yet put attention on human rights education to both minority and majority groups, noting that the knowledge on human rights is important to be shared, disseminated and expounded as stated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we therefore suggest the following recommendations in line with agenda item three (3):

·         Zimbabwe government should take measures to ensure that human rights education is mainstreamed in schools, colleges, security sector and communities including information relating to the rights of minority women and girls.

·         The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission should develop material on human rights, carry out outreach campaigns on human rights, that include women and girls and the materials should be disseminated in vernacular languages

·         Government should take necessary measurers to ensure that the outstanding human rights treaties are ratified, domesticated and fully implemented including  the Declaration on the Rights of Persons belonging to National OR Ethnic ,Religious and Linguistic Minorities 

·         The Government  should include the rights of minorities in the current drafted constitution, (Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities)

·         Government should allow  human rights defenders and activists from both minority and majority 

groups to be engaged in civic education and should give free space to Civil society to develop and disseminate information on civic education  targeted at minority and majority communities 

·         We also urge the United Nations through the responsible organs to facilitate for adequate resources to minority rights projects supporting the recommendations made in all Minority Forums; this can be achieved by setting a Voluntary Fund for the support of minority issues.

I thank you.

Email: chairperson@nayoyouth.org