Rwanda commits to implementation of UN rights recommendations

Rwanda Thursday unveiled its plan to implement some 50 recommendations from the UN Human Rights Commission over the next four years.

The recommendations are tailored to several aspects, including women empowerment and children's education, freedom of expression, and the preservation of human life.

They were outlined last year under the commission's Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which is done every four years.

Featuring prominently are government plans to set up a national human rights policy, creation of a desk under the Rwanda National Police to investigate cases of enforced human disappearances, reviewing the organic law governing political parties and the media, and setup of both laws and policies that better protect women and children against violence.

The government plans to work with the civil society and development partners towards the implementation.

Others include increasing opportunities for youth employment, increasing investments into the country's education and health sectors, and protecting asylum seekers and refugees.

Earlier, Rwanda's Justice Minister, Johnston Busingye, urged all the concerned institutions in the country to own the plan to ensure its successful implementation.

The UN Human Rights Advisor for Rwanda, Chris Mburu, welcomed the government's plan to implement UPR recommendations.

He stressed the need for urgency in setting up some of the initiatives without necessarily waiting for the next four years to elapse.

Rwanda agreed to implement up to 50 of the 83 recommendations from the UN Human Rights Council.

Among those rejected is one about becoming a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court. Endit