On the occasion of Human Rights Day 2009 – which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently declared would focus on non-discrimination – the Equal Rights Trust (ERT) will issue a series of specific appeals to nine governments and parliaments to act on discrimination.
ERT is the only international human rights organisation focussed exclusively on the right to equality and regularly makes recommendations to governments on the need to repeal discriminatory laws and policies and improve protection against discrimination. ERT will use Human Rights Day (10 December 2009) to urge certain governments to adopt recommendations it has addressed to them over the course of 2009. The Trust will also write to the Presidents of Malaysia and the USA urging action to address the situation of stateless people in detention, in advance of the publication of new research.
ERT will be addressing specific appeals to 9 governments from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas:
“The last year has seen some major successes in tackling discrimination: Serbia and the Czech Republic have adopted new anti-discrimination laws, while the High Court of Delhi has decriminalised homosexual conduct.
“But great challenges remain. Over 160 countries have no comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and even in those which do, discrimination remains a fact of life for many marginalised groups.
“From the UK to Uganda, from Sri Lanka to Sudan and from Moldova to Malaysia, there are steps which governments can take today to improve the situation of marginalised groups.
“We urge governments to seize this opportunity and take decisive action against discrimination.”
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1. To read ERT’s submissions to the governments of Latvia, Mali, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda and the UK, click here.
2. ERT has written to the governments of Malaysia and the USA in advance of the publication of its reports on stateless persons in detention in these countries. These reports will be published as part of ERT’s project on Stateless persons in Detention. For more information, click here .
ERT is the only international human rights organisation focussed exclusively on the right to equality and regularly makes recommendations to governments on the need to repeal discriminatory laws and policies and improve protection against discrimination. ERT will use Human Rights Day (10 December 2009) to urge certain governments to adopt recommendations it has addressed to them over the course of 2009. The Trust will also write to the Presidents of Malaysia and the USA urging action to address the situation of stateless people in detention, in advance of the publication of new research.
ERT will be addressing specific appeals to 9 governments from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas:
- Latvia – ERT will urge the Latvian government and its lawmakers to uphold the equality of all persons under its jurisdiction in respect to their pension rights and not roll back current levels of social security, as recommended in ERT’s expert opinion earlier this year.
- Malaysia – ERT will call on the government of Malaysia to ensure equal rights for stateless Rohingya migrants under its jurisdiction, following previous advocacy and ahead of the publication of its special report on the situation of Rohingya held in detention in that country.
- Mali – ERT will reiterate its recommendations, the message of which is that Mali’s MPs and President should not give in to pressure from opponents of the draft Family Code which seeks to extend rights for women in respect of marriage, property and inheritance.
- Moldova – ERT will call on the government to ensure that the Draft Law on Preventing and Combating Discrimination reflects the highest international standards on equality as set out in its submission to the government's consultation and to push for its adoption by the parliament.
- Sri Lanka – ERT will reiterate its call to President Rajapaksa to use the principles of equality enshrined in Sri Lanka’s constitution and in ERT’s Declaration of Principles on Equality as the basis for a sustainable solution to the conflict between Sinhalese and Tamil communities.
- Sudan – ERT will address recommendations to the Sudanese parliament calling for the repeal of section 152 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits ‘indecent’ acts and conduct as it has been used discriminatively against women and non-Muslims.
- Uganda – ERT will call on authroities and parliamentarians to reject the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill which is currently being debated in Uganda, one of 80 countries in the world where homosexual conduct is illegal.
- UK – ERT will write to the leaders of the UK’s three major political parties urging them to ensure that adequate parliamentary time is made for the 2009 Equality Bill to be enacted before parliament rises.
- USA – ERT will call on President Obama to institute a review of immigration detention policies, ensure that all remaining stateless detainees at the Guantanamo Bay facility are resettled in safe countries and sign the 1954 Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons.
“The last year has seen some major successes in tackling discrimination: Serbia and the Czech Republic have adopted new anti-discrimination laws, while the High Court of Delhi has decriminalised homosexual conduct.
“But great challenges remain. Over 160 countries have no comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and even in those which do, discrimination remains a fact of life for many marginalised groups.
“From the UK to Uganda, from Sri Lanka to Sudan and from Moldova to Malaysia, there are steps which governments can take today to improve the situation of marginalised groups.
“We urge governments to seize this opportunity and take decisive action against discrimination.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. To read ERT’s submissions to the governments of Latvia, Mali, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uganda and the UK, click here.
2. ERT has written to the governments of Malaysia and the USA in advance of the publication of its reports on stateless persons in detention in these countries. These reports will be published as part of ERT’s project on Stateless persons in Detention. For more information, click here .
