Proper data on human rights to help address issue

Islamabad : Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UNDP for establishing Management Information System (MIS) for data collection on human rights in Pakistan.

“With proper data on human rights situation in different parts of the country, it will be easier to make targeted policies and strategies to address these issues,” said Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari while talking to media after signing the MoU. She said that the ministry would soon launch an awareness raising project with European Union as well.

The MOU with UNDP outlines the scope of cooperation between UNDP and MoHR for the forthcoming two years. Under the MoU, UNDP will be extending technical and capacity building support to MoHR with a focus on institutional digitization and the establishment of a Human Rights Information Management System to better collect, collate, analyse and report on human rights achievements and challenges in Pakistan.

Under this MoU, the UNDP will assist MoHR in maintaining and strengthening linkages with relevant national and provincial stakeholders. The United Nations agency will also provide technical assistance and capacity building to support national and provincial stakeholders for protection of human rights.

On the occasion, UNDP Resident Representative Ignacio Artaza highlighted that UNDP Pakistan sees signing of the MOU with the Federal Ministry of Human Rights as an important landmark not just for UNDP but the UN system in Pakistan, and an important foundation for institutional collaboration with MoHR to promote rights-based development, which continues to be a cross cutting priority for both UNDP and the Government of Pakistan.

In her interaction with media, Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also talked about the laws that have been passed or are in different stages of approval, she said that the Ministry has already passed different important laws including Child Protection Act, Juvenile Justice System Act, Transgender Protection Act and Hindu Marriage Act. “We need to realize the fact that Pakistan is among the countries where minorities are allowed to live according to their personal laws. It is not like west where one personal law applies to all whether it matches their religion and culture or not,” she said.