28 Apr 2019

Botswana government continues to make significant progress in addressing the needs and concerns of marginalised communities.

Speaking at the 18^th UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, United States recently, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Frans Van Der Westhuizen stated that progress was achieved through respect for cultural diversity, availing of development programmes and social services as well as land distribution. 

“Botswana government has put in place a number of national policies and programmes to address the concerns of marginalised communities. 

The implementation of the Affirmative Action Framework for Remote Area Communities is on track. 

We continue to see great improvements in the areas of economic empowerment, access to decent shelter, employment and access to tertiary education among others,” he said. 

The minister stated that the promotion and protection of human rights remained a top priority for Botswana. 

He said government continued to be guided by various international human rights instruments to which Botswana was a party, adding that the country attached great importance to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

As a country with a strong democratic tradition and guided by an entrenched belief in openness, transparency and dialogue at all levels as well as commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people, Botswana had remained steadfast in upholding the various human rights instruments it was signatory to, he said. 

Mr Van Der Westhuizen said Botswana’s national principles were guided by the values that Batswana shared and cherished as a non-racial society, adding that the country’s constitution guaranteed fundamental freedoms and basic human rights which included equality before the law and proscribed all forms of discrimination such as on the basis of colour, race, ethnicity, religion, gender or social status.

 In an endeavour to promote an inclusive society, he said, government planned to reach out to marginalised communities through various schemes and initiatives. 

The minister assured his audience that government would continue to engage all stakeholders, including marginalised communities, to ensure that they were represented in all decision making structures so as to give legitimacy to all policies and programmes meant to improve the lives of all citizens. 

Mr Van Der Westhuizen and his entourage returned home yesterday. ENDS