The Tribune

IN recognition of Human Rights Day, Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said in a statement yesterday that the Bahamas is “firmly committed” to upholding the human rights and dignity of all.

Human Rights Day is observed every year on December 10. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Mr Mitchell said: “The Bahamas is firmly committed to uphold the human rights and dignity of all, having signed various human rights instruments of the United Nations, and most recently ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Disabled and the optional protocols on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“It is not enough to sign human rights instruments, although this is an important first step; we must also act on them. This includes putting in place measures for the empowerment of women. Women comprise 50 per cent of the world’s population, and as I said in my address at the 70th UN (General Assembly), there can be no economic and social development without the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

“Similarly, we need to pay attention to the needs of all young people. What legacy is being left for them? Taking into account the imagination, ideals and energies of young people makes good sense; to not do so will risk the continuing development of the societies in which they live.

“Today on Human Rights Day let us all commit to upholding the fundamental freedom, protection and rights of all humanity.”