Ambassador Alaa Rushdy, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in the high-level event organized by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at the level of foreign ministers of African Union(AU) countries to celebrate African Human Rights Day on October 21, 2021.
During his intervention at the celebration, Ambassador Rushdy expressed congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the issuance of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He pointed out that the creation of this high-level event by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to celebrate African Human Rights Day, along with the high-level participation in it, gives a clear message of the sincerity of the commitment and common determination among states to promote and protect human rights and African peoples.
He also highlighted the need for the Committee to continue its efforts to end the marginalization of the continent and work to benefit from the benefits of scientific progress as an inherent human right.
Rushdy stressed the importance of strengthening ties with people of African descent in the diaspora in this regard, as well as supporting their efforts to eliminate hatred, racism and discrimination that they suffer in some of the countries receiving them.
He added that despite the long stride that African countries have made towards enabling their citizens of their civil and political rights, there are still shortcomings that require a firm political will to bring about the required structural changes that guarantee respect for basic rights and freedoms.
He also pointed out that there is still a lot that African countries must do to achieve equality and eliminate discrimination, and to ensure that all the people of the continent enjoy their benefits in implementation of the right to development.
Rushdy stressed the need to intensify efforts and ensure effective participation between governments and civil society entities to build the African human being and fight crime, corruption, violations and impunity, based on the principle of the rule of law and the rules of good governance.
In conclusion, the Assistant Foreign Minister indicated that Egypt, in its efforts to achieve this, launched last month the first national strategy for human rights under the auspices of the President of the Republic.
He said that Egypt hopes, through this strategy, to empower all its citizens of their rights and spread the culture of human rights as a foundation for its comprehensive development.
Rushdy expressed Egypt’s always welcome to exchange experiences and lessons learned with its African brothers.
