MINSK, 9 December (BelTA) – The UN promises to support Belarus with the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Belarus Sanaka Samarasinha said at the panel discussion “The National Human Rights Action Plan: Human Rights and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” on 9 December.
Sanaka Samarasinha noted that only 39 countries out of 183 UN member states have national human rights action plans. “The United Nations stands by Belarus and will support the country as it implements the National Human Rights Action Plan. Should you need resources or our collective global expertise, we are ready to help,” Sanaka Samarasinha said.
He considers it important that not only the government but also head of state Alexander Lukashenko supports the National Human Rights Action Plan in Belarus. “It shows the scale of political support in the country,” he said.
Sanaka Samarasinha emphasized that development of the document was hard work. “Belarus does what it proclaims,” Sanaka Samarasinha added.
The National Human Rights Action Plan is an inter-ministerial policy paper, a kind of roadmap defining the main lines of action to fulfill the obligations of the state in human rights. The document envisages about 100 activities to be undertaken by government agencies at all levels in 2016-2019. The document provides for the involvement of the scientific and religious communities, public associations, and financial and technical capacities of international organizations.
The panel discussion “The National Human Rights Action Plan: Human Rights and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” has been organized by the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Office in Belarus. The event is held on the occasion of Human Rights Day, which is marked by the international community on 10 December every year. The aim of the discussions is to exchange the best practices in implementing the national human rights action plans and to consider human rights issues through the lens of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approved at the UN Summit in September 2015.
