03 Mar 2022

Botswana continues to demonstrate commitment to effective partnership with civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights, says Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng.

In his virtual address to the ongoing 49th Human Rights Council session taking place in Geneva, Mr Morwaeng said civil societies were competently represented in Botswana’s National Human Rights Coordinating Committee.

The committee’s role, he explained,  was to ensure cross sectoral collaboration in the implementation of treaty obligations.

Mr Morwaeng said Botswana was actively involved in the council’s work in areas such as women’s rights and gender equality, rights of the child, independence of the judiciary, elimination of racial discrimination and equal participation in political and public life.

He said the session’s agenda and priorities were in synch with Botswana’s aspirations in the area of human rights and development in general. Minister Morwaeng said Botswana had adopted a human rights based approach to governance and development.

He said the country had rectified six of the nine main human rights treaties including convention against torture, elimination of discrimination against women, rights of the child and elimination of racial discrimination.  

“On August 11, 2021, Botswana ratified the convention on the rights of people with disabilities. We are committed to laying a robust policy and legislative framework to ensure that there are tangible protections and benefits to our people emanating from this ratification,” said Mr Morwaeng.

The minister said Botswana recognised the universal periodic review as a fundamental tool in the promotion of human rights globally. The country continued to implement accepted recommendations and was looking forward to further engagements during its review scheduled for April 2023, he said.

Mr Morwaeng said all states should stand against human rights violations and persecutions whenever and wherever they occurred.

“As we approach the milestone of the agenda 2030, Botswana wishes to reiterate that she recognises the important role played by the human rights council in facilitating dialogue among nations to promote the all rounded quality of life of people across the globe founded on the universal respect for human rights and the fundamental freedoms,” said Mr Morwaeng.

He said Botswana recognised the council’s unique position within the United Nations framework as an enabler in addressing gapping socioeconomic inequalities between and within nations which were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prioritisation of human and financial resources should be a continuous exercise to ensure that state, civil society, regional organisations and the office of the high commissioner were adequately equipped to implement the outcome of various human rights mechanisms in a systemic and cross cutting manner, the minister said. Ends