Luanda - The Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship Ana Celeste Januário Monday in Luanda reiterated Angolan Government’s commitment to work on promotion and protection of these rights in the country.
The official expressed the country’s engagement during the seminar on the “UN System and the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights”.
Ana Celeste Januário argued that, in this sense, cooperation and partnership with the United Nations system is being strengthened.
“I would like to reiterated that the country is open to dialogue and will continue to implement actions aimed at improving the promotion and protection of human rights in Angola”, she said.
The country's legislation is being increasingly aligned with the documents international and human rights, the official stressed.
Ana Celeste mentioned some achievements and actions foreseen in the National Action Plan for Human Rights, as the challenges to be faced, under the Government's strategy.
The official also said that Angola, as part of the African and UN human rights conventions, had ratified 10 and signed 11 conventions, out of a total of 12.
The country also presented 10 reports, in addition to 27 others submitted and defended by members of the Inter-sector Commission for Preparation of National Reports on Human Rights.
The Secretary of State also defended participation in training at the level of African and international regions, contacts with the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, visits for reports and special procedures of the UN and the African Union, as well as the fact that the country held, in 2014 , the 44th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
In turn, the representative of the United Nations System in Angola, Zaíra Virane, acknowledged the Government’s role in fulfilling its accountability obligations to human rights mechanisms, having reiterated the UN's collaboration in promoting sustainable development, egalitarian and inclusive.
According to Zaíra Virane, the seminar is important in view of the prominent role of Angola in building peace and promoting stability in Central Africa and in the Great Lakes Region, through its mediation and conflict resolution efforts.
While the ambassador of Norway in Angola, Bjornar Hotvdt, highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in gender matters, having indicated, soon, the signing of an agreement, as part of strengthening the culture of human rights.
The diplomat expressed his country’s availability to continue to cooperate in promotion and protection of this process", and spoke of the need to take into account the great challenges in the world, which he said require a lot of work and overcoming of multilateral mechanisms, namely armed conflicts, refugee flows, economic crises and growing intolerance.
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Esmeralda Mendonça, underlined the partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner and partners such as Portugal and Switzerland, in addition to Norway.
According to Esmeralda Mendonça, technical assistance and training of Angolan staff will contribute to the country's more active participation in the work of the Human Rights Council.
A sua realização insere-se também nas comemorações dos 75 anos da Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, adoptada pela ONU em 1948. VC/SC
The seminar is jointly sponsored by Angolan ministerial department and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, runs until the 21st. VC/SC/NIC
