ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Human Rights is launching Pakistan’s first Human Rights Information Resource Portal on Thursday (today), developed in partnership with the European Union.

The portal has been envisioned to serve as a central repository of up-to-date and cutting-edge human rights knowledge for students, academics, practitioners and the citizenry at large.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the human rights ministry said the portal would serve as a platform for increasing awareness about human rights laws, practices and gaps, facilitating the development of new initiatives, research, policies and solutions in the field of human rights in Pakistan.

It will include comprehensive material on Pakistan’s domestic institutional human rights framework and international commitments. It will also host relevant reports and publications that have been published by the government, civil society organisations and UN agencies on critical human rights issues.

According to the ministry, the portal will enable users to learn about rights guaranteed to them through the Constitution as well as federal and provincial legislations.

“Laws are categorised according to provinces as well as thematic areas including civil, political and economic rights, child rights; women rights and rights of minorities,” the ministry said in its statement. Information is also available on various institutions and bodies designed to promote and protect human rights at the federal and provincial level, including legislative bodies, human rights committees, provincial human rights departments and statutory bodies.

It will serve as platform to increase awareness of human rights laws, facilitate development of new initiatives, research on subject

Comprehensive training resources and material will also be available on the portal for the benefit of human rights practitioners and personnel. The training resources cover a range of topics such as Pakistan’s International Human Rights Obligations and Human Rights Data Collection and Documentation. Further custom training resources will be aimed at enhancing capacity of the judiciary, prosecution and law enforcement agencies.

Speaking about the launch of the portal, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said: “The Human Rights Resource Portal is an important and innovative initiative that increases the availability and accessibility of information that is integral for promulgating greater awareness about human rights in Pakistan. Ultimately we are hopeful that it will cultivate greater civic engagement and play a part in creating an enabling environment for citizens to exercise their rights in Pakistan.”

Secretary for Human Rights Inamullah Khan also spoke about the significance of this initiative.

“The collaboration between the European Union in Pakistan and the Ministry of Human Rights in establishing this portal is a quintessential step towards ensuring good governance. The platform will ensure that students, academics, practitioners, policymakers and the general public have access to updated and relevant information for the protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan.”

In her remarks, European Union Ambassador Androulla Kaminara also emphasised her appreciation of this initiative democracy, rule of law, good governance and human rights of the strategic engagement plan concluded between the government of Pakistan and the European Union.

“Access to information is crucial for citizens in an open democratic and transparent society. The comprehensive collection and digitalisation of key information about human rights in Pakistan and open access to all Pakistani citizens is an important step towards this goal,” she added.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2021