By
Iddi Yire/Jesse Owusu Ampah, GNA
Accra, Dec. 11, GNA
– POS Foundation, a human rights civil society organisation in collaboration
with the Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights – Ghana (CEPEHRG), has
held a breakfast meeting for editors on the United Nations Universal Peer
Review (UPR).
The breakfast
meeting on the theme: “Demystifying the Misconceptions about Equal Protection
and Non-Discrimination for Minority Groups”, was to school the editors on the
UPR accepted by Ghana in November 2017 on minority groups.
The UPR is a unique
process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member
States.
It is a State-driven
process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the
opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve
the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights
obligations.
The ultimate aim of
this mechanism is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and
address human rights violations wherever they occur.
Some of the
recommendations made to Ghana at the November 2017 UPR summit include taking
the steps necessary to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and
intersex persons from violence and discrimination on the basis of their sexual
orientation and gender identity.
Ensure that victims
of discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity
have access to rehabilitation and remedy and that all perpetrators are
punished, taking measures to fight against violence and discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity and continuing to promoting gender
equality through specific laws, plans and programmes.
Mr Jonathan Osei
Owusu, the Executive Director of POS Foundation in an interview with the Ghana
News Agency, said Ghana has gone through the first review in 2008, second
review in 2012, and was recently reviewed in November 2017 in Geneva,
Switzerland.
He said out of the
review, 241 recommendations that were made to Ghana by member states, the
nation accepted 212, which on various human rights.
He said at the
Geneva meeting, Ghana was highly commended for three projects – free senior
high school, the school feeding programme and the Justice for All.
He said Ghana did
not accept recommendation on the removal of death penalty, which is a
constitutional issue that would require the holding of referendum, more so it
the nation did not also accept the recommendation on legitimizing LGBT.
Mr Osei Owusu said
two of such recommendations on LGBT that were accepted by the state were that
persons who are LGBT must have equal protection and not be discriminated
against.
“We are looking at
not leaving anybody behind, everybody inclusive. The dignity of every human being
is important and everyone’s right is important.”
He said LGBTs are
human beings and that they have rights, which must be protected.
“Everybody must be
treated equally before the law and not to abused or discriminated against,”
added.
The POS Foundation
is a human rights civil society organization which focuses its activities in
the areas of human rights advocacy and development, policy reforms, youth
development and social accountability.
With a track record
of successful projects, the organisation has strategically positioned itself as
one the leading Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Ghana and currently
serves as the secretariat for the Ghana Human Rights NGOs Forum with its
Executive Director Mr Osei Owusu being the vice-chairman of the forum.
CEPEHRG was formed
on the premise of combating the impact of AIDS in Ghana as a contribution to
the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number six and also to
help achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care services.
In addition, it is
committed to the promotion of equality and diversity in Ghana.
CEPEHRG’s value is
based on the provision of human rights awareness through popular education
methodology.
Since establishment,
CEPEHRG has been committed to providing direct services to young people and
most at risk populations.
GNA
