A/HRC/17/24
celebrate International Children’s Day, the right to food was actively discussed by
representatives of the Ministries of Health, Education, and Social Solidarity and a Member
of the National Parliament, among others. In November 2010, the United Nations
Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) Human Rights and Transitional Justice
Section (HRTJS) completed a survey on the challenges faced by the Mental Health Focal
Points (MHFP) of the Ministry of Health–of which there are 16 in the country–and which
have reported that they are responsible for providing medical care to more than 3,000
persons with mental disabilities, nationwide. The main challenges reported by the MHFPs
included the lack of specialized training and information, insufficient human resources, lack
of access to specialized doctors in the districts, lack of transport and basic communication
equipment, shortage of medicines, and families objecting to modern medical treatment,
instead of traditional medicine.
28.
The National Parliament of Timor Leste celebrated International Human Rights Day
with an extraordinary session on economic, social and cultural rights, during which
different speakers, including the President of the Republic, the President of Parliament and
Party leaders, stressed the importance of realizing economic, social and cultural rights.
During the reporting period, UNMIT-HRTJS provided seven Timorese civil society
organizations and networks with micro-grants from OHCHR’s Technical Cooperation
Project to monitor the right to education, health, adequate housing and food. As a result, the
NGOs have produced reports that are being used for advocacy with the Government at the
local and national levels. UNMIT-HRTJS also launched a pilot project on ESCRs in a
remote village in Bobonaro District, with a view to strengthening the capacity of the
community to claim rights, and that of duty bearers to realize rights. The community, which
was involved in every step of the project, identified its priorities, and work was started to
improve sanitation in the village. The project will continue until mid 2011.
29.
On 30 March 2010, OHCHR released a report based on field research and entitled,
“The Human Rights Dimension of Poverty in Afghanistan”. The report emphasizes the
importance of integrating human rights concerns, such as those relating to the right to food,
health, adequate housing and education, among others, into Afghanistan’s poverty
reduction policies and strategies, in order to address the root causes of poverty. As a followup to the report, OHCHR and United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA) is conducting extensive research on the right to health, with focus on human
rights principles, including equality and non-discrimination, in health-sector policies and
programmes.
30.
In 2010, OHCHR-Nepal, in cooperation with the National Human Rights
Commission, organized three major workshops on monitoring economic, social and cultural
rights for local government officials, civil society organisations and community-based
groups. These workshops resulted in the creation of local networks to monitor economic,
social and cultural rights violations in various districts. The Office also advocated increased
protection of economic, social and cultural rights in the new Constitution, through the
provision of inputs and comments to the Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive
Principles of the Constituent Assembly. OHCHR-Nepal continued to monitor forced
evictions of landless people in the Far Western Region, as well as the process of liberation
and rehabilitation of haliyas (bonded labourers working as land tillers) and kamlaris
(bonded child labourers) through advocacy with the Government, and support to local
NGOs in their efforts to improve access to justice and basic services for these groups. A
positive development was the completion by the Government of official national statistics
on the haliya population, following the survey that was conducted in 2009.
31.
In May 2010, OHCHR-Regional Office for West Africa, in cooperation with the
International Labour Office (ILO) Regional Office for the Sahel, organized a two-day
regional conference on the justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights for
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