Parliament has been urged to take a proactive role in translating Ghana’s international human rights obligations into laws, policies, and budgetary decisions that directly impact citizens.
This call came during a two-day high-level dialogue workshop in Accra, where Members of Parliament (MPs) serving on the Select Committee on Human Rights engaged with representatives from the United Nations and other governance stakeholders.
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr. Zia Choudhury, stressed that while Ghana has earned a strong reputation for democracy and human rights, real progress will depend on Parliament’s ability to drive legislative reform and ensure oversight.
He reminded lawmakers that Ghana received 298 recommendations during the 2023 Universal Periodic Review (UPR), supporting 265 of them—including measures to strengthen equality, protect vulnerable groups, and safeguard the rights of women and children.
“The task ahead is to ensure these commitments are fully implemented through laws, policies, budgets, and oversight that are inclusive and rights-based,” Mr. Choudhury said, urging MPs to use their constitutional mandate to transform aspirations into action.
A key priority, he added, is the passage of the Criminal Offence Amendment Act 2023, to end the continued victimisation of elderly women accused of witchcraft.
“We must take decisive steps to protect the lives and dignity of these women,” he emphasised.
Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Mr. Ernest Yaw Anim, underscored that the UPR was more than a routine review.
“It is a call for Parliament to translate these recommendations into real legislative, policy, and programmatic change,” he said.
Other speakers, including Dr. Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), called for stronger parliamentary involvement in all international and regional reporting obligations, not leaving the responsibility solely to the Executive.
While the United Nations pledged technical, financial, and institutional support through its Human Rights Sub-Group, the consensus at the workshop was clear: Ghana’s Parliament must stand at the centre of the nation’s human rights journey, ensuring commitments are not only signed on paper but lived in practice.
