Towards better observance of human rights

The Jordanian coordinator for human rights at the prime minister’s office has just submitted his plan of action for the implementation of human rights as prescribed in the various international human rights conventions, which had been duly ratified by the government.

This suggests that the government is keen on fulfilling its human rights treaty obligations faithfully and completely.

Adopting a national framework for the implementation of human rights is an international obligation.

It is in keeping with the recommendation of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action for Human Rights which, inter alia, called on states to draw up and execute a plan of action on human rights.

Of course, it is one thing to adopt on paper such a plan of action and quite another to implement it in full.

The ministerial committee charged with the task of drawing up the national plan and overseeing its implementation needs to be fully aware of the country’s treaty obligations and the jurisprudence of the 10 international treaty bodies on human rights and the stipulations of the 10 basic human rights conventions.

Only complete knowledge of these commitments, of the concluding observations of treaty bodies and of the decisions of the UN Human Rights Council pertaining to Jordan can ensure that human rights are respected.

The government has moved in the right direction by calling on the coordinator and the ministerial committee to take seriously Jordan’s commitments under international human rights accords.

That can only reinforce observance of human rights, an issue in which the country scores high.