Ascension : Press Release - Discussions to Commence on Human Rights
Submitted by The Islander (Ascension Island Government) 31.07.2008 (Article Archived on 14.08.2008)

Discussions will soon commence on how to build capacity in St Helena to address Human Rights with the arrival of a Human Rights Project Coordinator from the Commonwealth Foundation.

Rosanna Mesquita is the Human Rights Coordinator for the South Atlantic and the Pacific and she will visit St Helena from 7 to 14 August to conduct consultations with public officials and civil society in order to tailor the project’s activities to meet their needs. This project is called Building Human Rights Capacity in the British Overseas Territories of the Caribbean, Pacific and South Atlantic.  The project, which is funded by DFID over a four year period, began in July 2007.  The first, or inception, phase included a desk-based research exercise by the Commonwealth Legal Education Association which has resulted in a preliminary report setting out the laws protecting human rights in each Overseas Territory and which now requires our views in order to finalise the report.  A copy of this report has been placed in the Public Library.

Bobby Essex, Senior Assistant Secretary said that, as part of the initial phase of the project, Rosanna will be meeting with stakeholders to present the project, to consult with them in order to identify their needs and priorities in relation to specific activities and to discuss how to take the project forward in St Helena.  These views will then shape the project’s subsequent activities.  Subsequent activities include national training events for civil society and public officials, small grants for local community groups interested in running human rights projects and technical advice and assistance to public officials.  These activities will be designed to assist not only public officials to further their work in guaranteeing individual human rights, but will also facilitate all sectors of society to participate in this work.

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