Today is International Human Rights Day:
HR Action Plan spurring wide benefits
*President committed to improving HR status
*Economic, social development gaining hugely
Chaminda PERERA
The government yesterday said that the implementation of the National
Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP) will help enhance the massive
achievements already made in the protection of human rights and that it
will bring positive benefits in the form of economic and social
development and tranquillity.
According to Plantation Industries Minister and the President’s
Special Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, the views of people
at various levels were obtained for the formulation of this plan and it
was subjected to a wide public dialogue.
Speaking on the occasion of International Human Rights Day which
falls today, Minister Samarasinghe added that President Mahinda
Rajapaksa is committed to a sustained effort to improve the human rights
status of the country by the formulation and implementation of this
plan.
The minister stressed that the National Human Rights Action Plan was
not drafted on a demand by the international community nor had it any
political agendas.
He said that the Plan was discussed at many levels in society before
it was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Minister Samarasinghe noted that the NHRAP will enable the government
to introduce a structured, prioritized and strategic list of measures
that would help enhance the achievements already made by Sri Lanka in
terms of protecting human rights.
He said that the implementation of this Plan is an integral part of
the post conflict transformation to ensure that the hard won peace is
secured at last.
The minister also noted that the country will enjoy economic, social
and political stability with the implementation of this plan backed by
the massive development drive that is being carried out by the
government under the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He was of the view that economic, social and political stability are
prerequisite for close amity between the people of different communities
with a Sri Lankan identity.
The minister commenting on this year’s theme of Human Rights Day,
“Social Media and Human Rights”, said that social media can be used
creatively to share a common understanding and build bridges between the
communities.
“Post armed conflict Sri Lanka should develop on efforts to establish
cyber relationships between people, especially those who have left our
country due to violence or other causes” he added.
He noted that brotherhood and reconciliation can be most effectively
deployed through social media with the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka.
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