A/HRC/38/30
16.
Following the protracted and controversial appointment process, the Global Alliance
for National Human Rights Institutions decided to postpone until 2019 the review of the
status (currently “A”) of the Office of the Ombudsperson and of its compliance with the
Paris Principles — initially scheduled for early 2018 — in order to have sufficient time to
assess the performance of the new leadership of the institution.
IV. National human rights action plan
17.
In May 2014, the office of the Minister Delegate for Human Rights, in coordination
with the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights, produced a first draft of a national
human rights action plan. At that time, the Independent Expert on the situation of human
rights in Haiti noted that the process offered a unique opportunity to incorporate his
recommendations and those of other United Nations human rights mechanisms (see
A/HRC/34/73, para. 17).
18.
As of April 2018, Haiti had received recommendations from the Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (January 1991 and April 2001), the Human Rights
Committee (October 1995 and November 2014), the Committee on the Rights of the Child
(March 2003 and February 2016), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women (February 2009 and March 2016), the universal periodic review (March
2012 and December 2016) and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(February 2018).
19.
The 2014 draft national human rights action plan represented a serious first step
towards incorporating human rights into national policies. It provided an overview of key
human rights concerns and their link to recommendations from United Nations human
rights mechanisms, including the need to restructure rule-of-law institutions, fight against
impunity, improve conditions of detention and build the capacity of the Haitian National
Police. The draft also identified poverty as the main source of food insecurity, as well as the
need to increase school attendance in order to fight illiteracy. It also highlighted the specific
difficulties for advancing the protection of the rights of women, children and the most
vulnerable, including people with disabilities, internally displaced persons and lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and intersex persons.
20.
While the draft national human rights action plan was not made public, throughout
2014 the Office of the Minister Delegate for Human Rights organized consultations to
discuss it with mayors and representatives of local authorities (the Municipal Sections
Assemblies and the Boards of Municipal Sections). Representatives of some civil society
organizations were also consulted. These consultations were held across the country’s 10
departments, and represented a significant effort to engage and obtain the views of a wide
range of citizens and incorporate human rights concerns specific to each region.
21.
The Office of the Minister Delegate for Human Rights did not, however, have the
opportunity to act upon the outcome of these consultations given its abolition in December
2014. Since then, the Interministerial Committee has not been in a position to finalize the
national human rights action plan. However, the 2014 document could constitute a useful
basis to resume efforts towards the preparation and adoption of an up-to-date national
action plan for the sustainable protection of human rights.
22.
Since December 2014, the leadership of the Stabilization Mission, and subsequently
of the Mission for Justice Support, has consistently advocated for the appointment of a
high-level human rights focal point within the Government, as has the Secretary-General in
reports to the Security Council (see S/2017/604, para. 21). Following the adoption of the
above-mentioned statement by the President of the Council, the High Commissioner wrote
to the Prime Minister with a similar request, on 8 June 2017 and 31 January 2018, stressing
the importance of strong leadership to ensure the development of a national human rights
action plan. He further informed the Prime Minister that the human rights component of the
peace mission in Haiti remained available to provide the necessary technical assistance for
the preparation of such a plan. At the time of writing the present report, the Government
had not responded to the High Commissioner.
6
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents