By: Ashiadey Dotse
The Parliament of Ghana has held a special workshop to educate eight key Committees on promoting human and children’s rights.
The event was organized by the Committee on Human Rights in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
The workshop brought together Committees under the Legal Cluster, along with the Committees on Education, Employment, Labour Relations and Pensions, and Gender, Children and Social Protection .
The workshop was held under the theme “Promoting Human and Children’s Rights: The Role of the 9th Parliament of Ghana.”
The opening session was led by the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor, and the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Ernest Yaw Anim.
One of the key speakers, Mr. David Ekwe Ethuro, a consultant and former President of the Kenyan Senate, spoke about how Parliament can use laws, oversight, and budgeting to protect human rights. Hon. Francis Xavier Sosu, the MP for Madina, also spoke about the need to end the death penalty in Ghana and the steps being taken in that direction.
In the second session, Miss Maria Soledad and Mr. Mohammed Kheir explained how the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) work. They shared the important role Parliament can play in these international human rights processes.
Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms. Mercy Larbi, also spoke about CHRAJ’s duties and how Parliament can support the Commission’s work.
The final session was led by Dr. Isaac Annan, who focused on Ghana’s involvement in the UPR process. He highlighted Parliament’s responsibility in reporting and following up on human rights recommendations, as well as monitoring and evaluating progress.
