ZANZIBAR President Dr Hussein Mwinyi has vowed to strengthen human rights protection systems through cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, East Africa Regional Office (OHCHR-EARO).
He stated that Zanzibar was pleased with the cooperation with OHCHR-EARO. As a result of the cooperation, there is now a broad understanding of human rights law among many people on the Isles.
Dr Mwinyi made the remarks at the State House while speaking with Mr Marcel Akpovo, Representative and Director of the OHCHR-EARO, who was on an official visit to Zanzibar.
OHCHR, or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The office was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 1993, in the wake of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights.
OHCHR-EARO Regional Office monitors human rights developments in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Tanzania and supports governments, civil society, UN Country Teams, and other stakeholders to strengthen human rights protection systems and mainstream human rights in programmes.
Dr Mwinyi said that the cooperation between the government and OHCHR-EARO honours the dignity of the legal institutions in the country.
Furthermore, he requested the institutions examine the possibility of assisting government institutions that work and implement legal issues by building their capacity in the areas they serve, including through short- and long-term training, workshops, and other issues that will enhance their efficiency and professionalism in their daily activities.
“Zanzibar is working under the auspices of the United Republic of Tanzania despite some of these legal institutions being independent according to the nature of the side where it happens, but both sides of the Union are cooperating directly to achieve their duty to serve all Tanzanians,” he noted.
Dr Mwinyi, on the other hand, encouraged Mr Akpovo to make full use of Zanzibar, not only as a tourist destination, but also for international meetings and conferences. Zanzibar offers large halls and lots of attractions for international meetings.
On his part, Mr Akpovo told President Mwinyi that his office acknowledges the efforts of the government of Zanzibar to serve its people and bring them great development.
He said that his office also has great faith in the government and that their cooperation will bring more success to the people of all the parties he represents.
Mr Akpovo promised Dr Mwinyi that OHCHR-EARO will work side by side in supporting the government as well as cooperating on legal issues with existing legal institutions in the country.
“We will collaborate with the government of Zanzibar by providing training to magistrates, judges, lawyers, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and legal institutions in Zanzibar,” he said
He said that one of the responsibilities of their office is to support the international campaign on women’s rights and gender issues by carrying out the responsibility of everyone’s rights in society and continuing to mobilize.
“Our relationship that we have reflects the real nature of the Union of the two sides of the people of this Tanzanian nation,” said Mr Akpovo.
The Representative was in Zanzibar for an official visit to see which areas they would agree on regarding issues of access to justice in Zanzibar and related areas.
