Human Rights Academy could be on the horizon

Building on the massive success of the first International Human Rights Certificate Course conducted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, a national human rights institute could be on the cards for Guyana.

Some 162 persons successfully completed the homegrown 10-week course last week, taking a major step in knowing their rights and becoming familiar with international human rights conventions.

During the graduation ceremony held on Saturday last, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira said that the importance of this programme cannot be overstated.

“One of the key foundations of democracy is to have an informed population, to have a population that is well-informed to make decisions and to understand what’s going around them,” the minister said.

As a result, she explained that a human rights institute would allow for more in-depth studies, and an expanded menu of subject areas.

“So that’s an idea whether for long term but I really believe that we kind of went into this with just a recognition we had to do it,” she said.

The minister identified a need to bridge the gap in public knowledge about human rights and international conventions, especially given the ongoing work on the National Mechanism for Reporting and Follow-up and the National Stakeholders’ Forum. This led to the development of the course.

“We recognised that there were gaps in people’s knowledge or lack of clarity in terms of human rights, what were human rights that were absolute, which ones were not, and what did our constitution say, what did the other conventions that Guyana has ratified require of us to do…[so] we designed this program internally, based on our experience,” she recalled.

Already, the ministry is exploring other ways to expand the programme to include even the diaspora, since this sector has also shown interest.

The minister recognised the immense effort that went into crafting the course, and the overwhelming response garnered. This has signalled to the government that the people are interested in learning about these critical subjects, and she assured that the ministry will continue working to bring forward similar initiatives.

“We decided to make the course an annual feature and we’ll work towards increasing the number of persons. You have given us sustenance to say that we were on the right track and we should continue and to do it even better and bigger and broader,” the minister further disclosed.

The comprehensive course introduced participants to the fundamental concepts of human rights law. Basic topics such as the history, development, and nature of human rights, the legal foundation and framework for human rights, key human rights instruments, and the regional and international frameworks for the protection of human rights were examined.

The 162 participants gained a wealth of knowledge on the concepts of rights holders and duty bearers, as well as the rights and obligations of various players within the international human rights framework.

The Ministry also secured support from international agencies including the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UNESCO Regional Office, the FAO and the Right to Food Team, and others to execute the programme.