By: Ubaida Awudu
Offices of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) have organized a stakeholder consultative workshop on the development of a National Acton Plan on business and human rights in Ghana, focusing on women and persons with disability.
Ghana has an obligation to develop a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP on BHR) in order to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in Ghana.
The UNGPs were unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011 in its Resolution 17/4, supported by Governments from all regions of the world with the aim of advancing the protection, respect and redress of human rights violations by Businesses.
The UNGPs are founded on three pillars which are; the State duty to protect human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the need for greater access to effective remedy.
The Lead anchor of the NAP Steering Committee, Victor Brobbey said there is a need for the business and human rights action plan because it will put a check on both Ghanaian owned and foreign companies in the country to undertake mandatory human rights in a diligent process.
“We are going to require that the companies in the country undertake mandatory human rights checks for their customers and employees “, he stated.
A member of the NAP Steering committee, Clement Kadogbe said every human being is entitled to enjoy his or her fundamental rights and it is the state’s obligation to protect and ensure that. “Where ever you find yourself, your rights needs to be protected, and the government must ensure this, and when the state fails, international community can intervene to protect your rights”, he reiterated.
Mr. Kadogbe added that the abolition of the death penalty is a good motive because it has been an initiative being pushed for a very long time.” We think it’s a good thing that parliament has passed the bill and we’re looking forward for the President to sign it”, Mr. Kadogbe said.
The development and subsequent adoption of a NAP on Business and Human Rights will position Ghana as a country that is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights.
