'Good governance a must to ensure HR'
Staff Correspondent
Poverty and absence of good governance and democratic norms are the root causes of human rights violations across the world, human rights activists said at a discussion yesterday. It's difficult to safeguard human rights in a country plagued with poverty, illiteracy and inequality, said former chief advisor of the caretaker government Justice Latifur Rahman. "Good governance, kind and benevolent political rule is the pre-condition for human rights," he added. The Bureau of Human Rights Bangladesh (BHRB) organised the discussion on 'Global and national trends of human rights violation and the rule of law' at the National Press Club to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. US Ambassador Harry K Thomas said one has to be a human being irrespective of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian, to better understand human rights. People's participation in the policy-making, decentralisation of power, proper use of public fund and growth of free press can ensure human rights, said Dutch Ambassador Sjef Ijzermans. "Law-making has to be transparent and participatory," he further said. Australian High Commissioner Lorraine Barker said the nature of governance has a profound impact on human rights. "Democracy combined with rule of law is an environment where human rights can sustain." To mark the World Human Rights Day, Odhikar, a human rights organisation, also arranged a daylong workshop on 'Human rights preservation and monitoring' at its office in Gulshan. Though the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948 to create a culture of universal human rights, it is threatened by unilateral actions of some powerful states in the name of fighting terrorism, participants said at the workshop, with Tasneem Siddiqui in the chair. At another discussion, UNDP Resident Coordinator Jorgan Lissner said there was a possibility of signing an agreement with the government within six months to channel 13.3 million dollars to modernise the country's law enforcing agency. Regarding the human rights commission, Lissner said it should have been in place by now. The Bangladesh Manbadhikar Bastabayan Sangstha marked the day with a discussion on 'Mass media in respect of human rights' at the Sufia Kamal Auditorium. Justice Latifur Rahman, Secretary General of the Sangstha Advocate Sigma Huda, General Manager of ATN Firoj Uddin, and General secretary of Dhaka Reporters' Unity Saleh Shibli spoke.
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