EHRC Celebrates 63rd Human Rights Day
In the past it was in Awassa and Addis Ababa. This time it is in Mekelle, the capital city of Tigray Regional National State. The idea of celebrating for the 6th time the International Human Rights Day in Mekelle is to provide continuity to the celebration of the Ethiopian Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Day observed in the same city the previous day. The Conviction is that these two Days have been inseparables, in fact interdependent; much as civil and political rights and economic, cultural, and social rights are.
The day was marked under the theme “Dignity for All” to convey the message that every human being irrespective of its differences in whatever manner is entitled to dignity, to equal opportunity and treatment before the law and respect by virtue of being a human being.
In the morning session, it was a marching ceremony and the conveyance of messages of national and international organizations. The former was attended by some one thousand participants drawn from the federal and regional government organs and including various justice bodies, members of diplomatic community, representatives of various international organizations and CSOs, religious leaders, residents of the town, and community members of Mekelle University accompanied with tunes of a brace band.
On the marching ceremony
By way of concluding the morning session, Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, Ambassador Teruneh Zenna, have noted that the celebration was made to take place in Mekelle in order to emphasize that group and individual rights particularly in the Ethiopian context are the ones without which the other is hardly possible to realize. The message of the UN Secretary- General, Ban Ki-moon’s for the year 2011 has also been conveyed by Mr. David Amozuafo, UNDP-DIP Manager. In his massage in connection with the day, Ban Ki- moon said, “Human rights belong to every one of us without exception. But unless we know them, unless we demand they be respected, and unless we defend our right… and the rights of others…to exercise them, they will be just words in a decades old document.” He further noted, “That is why on Human Rights Day, we do more than celebrate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948- we acknowledge its enduring relevance for our own times.”
Religious leaders conveying their message
Leaders of three different religions from Jimma zone have also stressed the need for religious tolerance and pluralism in order to live together in peace and love which they believed were the building blocks for the respect of human rights and freedoms. Meanwhile, W/ro Elsa Markos, Chairperson of the Association of Tigray Women with Disabilities, representing CSOs in the region, conveyed a message particularly focusing on the role of civil society organizations in promoting and protecting human rights.
W/ro Elsa Markos, representing CSOs
The afternoon program was slated for a national conference on the “Right of Access to Justice and the Provision of Legal Aid in Ethiopia” at Axum Hotel. A paper on the said subject was presented by Dr. Memberetsehay Tadesse, Director of Ethiopian Legal and Justice Research Institute, which was followed by a discussion among the 200 conference attendants including federal and regional governments’ senior officials, religious leaders, academicians and heads of various CSOs. In his research paper, Dr. Memberetsehay indicated, the right of the people to be access to justice and legal aid is limited by, among other things, distance from justice bodies, financial problems, lack of legal aid by educated experts, inadequate information, and cultural barriers. He also mentioned solutions for those problems which include providing free legal aids to the indigents, enforcing the pro bono service proclamation, expanding free legal aid centers, and law schools and training institutions.
Ambassador Terune Zenna, addressing the conference
For lack of resources, there has been a noticeable number of citizens who cannot get access to justice which is central to human rights, said Chief Commissioner of EHRC, Ambassador Teruneh Zenna on the occasion, indicating the national conference was meant to look for ways of reaching out to the needy. He also noted that despite the fact that the Commission has been able to open more than one hundred free legal aid centers across the country jointly with universities and other civil society organizations, there was the need for more such actions in the future.
Hon. Shitaye Minale speaking on the occassion
Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives, Shitaye Minale having reminded that Ethiopia has ratified various international human rights documents; made them part of the country’s constitution and put in place various institutions for their enforcement said that there was still a need for more actions.
Participants of the conference
On the same day, all branch offices of the Commission have also celebrated the Day in marching ceremony and panel discussions with the purpose of promoting the mandates and responsibilities of the Commission and raising human rights awareness in their respective regions through various promotional methods. The Chief Commissioner also conveyed via SMS text message: “Dignity for All” to more than 11 million mobile phone users. Ten billboards, four in various places in the capital city, and six of them at each branch offices across the country bearing the national theme for the Day had also been installed.