Today is International Human Rights Day: HR Action Plan spurring wide benefits
The government yesterday said that the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) will help enhance the massive achievements already made in the protection of human rights and that it will bring positive benefits in the form of economic and social development and tranquillity.
According to Plantation Industries Minister and the President’s Special Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, the views of people at various levels were obtained for the formulation of this plan and it was subjected to a wide public dialogue.
Speaking on the occasion of International Human Rights Day which falls today, Minister Samarasinghe added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is committed to a sustained effort to improve the human rights status of the country by the formulation and implementation of this plan.
The minister stressed that the National Human Rights Action Plan was not drafted on a demand by the international community nor had it any political agendas.
He said that the Plan was discussed at many levels in society before it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Minister Samarasinghe noted that the NHRAP will enable the government to introduce a structured, prioritized and strategic list of measures that would help enhance the achievements already made by Sri Lanka in terms of protecting human rights.
He said that the implementation of this Plan is an integral part of the post conflict transformation to ensure that the hard won peace is secured at last.
The minister also noted that the country will enjoy economic, social and political stability with the implementation of this plan backed by the massive development drive that is being carried out by the government under the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He was of the view that economic, social and political stability are prerequisite for close amity between the people of different communities with a Sri Lankan identity.
The minister commenting on this year’s theme of Human Rights Day, “Social Media and Human Rights”, said that social media can be used creatively to share a common understanding and build bridges between the communities.
“Post armed conflict Sri Lanka should develop on efforts to establish cyber relationships between people, especially those who have left our country due to violence or other causes” he added.
He noted that brotherhood and reconciliation can be most effectively deployed through social media with the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka.
Courtesy: Daily News
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The biggest violator of human rights, in their own backyard and in the countries they have invaded, to seize their natural resources is US government.
Minister’s comments” implementation of the Plan is an ineetegral part of the post cnflict transformation to ensure that the hard won peace is secured at last”are highly commendable and should be persued to the very hilt.There should not be any lapse or sidetracking of this very important requirement.All security forces and civil societies must be fully geared for the pupose.We cannot face a repeatitton and our future generations must live in Peace and Tranquility.