UK Supports Human Rights Work in Uganda
The British High Commissioner to Uganda and the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament launch the Checklist for Human Rights Compliance.
Stakeholders at the launch of Human Rights Checklist
On 10 September 2013, the British High Commissioner to Uganda Alison Blackburne and the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Hon Rebecca Kadaga, launched the Checklist for Human Rights Compliance. This Checklist, the first of its kind in Uganda, is a tool to help ensure that policies, budgets and any other government business support human rights.
At the launch event the Speaker of Parliament, Hon Rebecca Kadaga said:
The Checklist for Human Rights provides a mechanism quickly to alert Members of Parliament on the human rights implications of the provisions of a Bill, strategy, policy or government programme handled in Parliament. This checklist takes into account the specific rights contained in Chapter Four of the Constitution and requires every minister or member introducing any business in Parliament to answer specific questions relating to that business, in order to quickly alert the members of the human rights implications of the particular business.
The Checklist was put together by the Human Rights Committee of the Ugandan Parliament, with assistance from human rights organisations, civil society, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other stakeholders. The launch event was attended by members of parliament, government officials, representatives of human rights organisations, law schools and the press. The preparation and launch of the checklist was funded from the Bilateral Programme Budget of the British High Commission.
High Commissioner Alison Blackburne said:
This launch is a fantastic way to raise the profile of the Checklist and increase understanding of how it can be used. It is very important that all legislators, human rights organisations and other relevant stakeholders promote the use of the checklist within and outside Parliament. This will promote accountability to the general public and work towards creating an atmosphere that is free of human rights abuses in Uganda.