Mauritius: A symposium organised by the United Nations Association of Mauritius (UNAMAURITIUS) to commemorate World Human Rights Day 2022 was held on Saturday at the Municipal Council of Vacoas Phoenix.
The theme for 2022 is the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Vice President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Marie Cyril Eddy Boissêzon, the Chief Executive Officer of UNAMAURITIUS, Mr Nundkeswarsing Bossoondyal, the Mayor of the Municipal Council of Vacoas-Phoenix, Mr Praveen Kumar Ramburn, and other personalities were present on occasion.
In his address, the Vice-President highlighted the importance of celebrating the day and enumerated several Governmental measures to ensure that the fundamental rights of the citizens are rightfully respected.
“Mauritius, as a multinational and multi-ethnic country founded on common values of respect, equality, inclusion, unity and solidarity, has spared no effort to foster its development based on universal values of democracy, the rule of law, and the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” he said.
As for Mr Bossoondyal, he spoke on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1948, which sets out fundamental human rights that need to be universally protected. He also dwelt on the Human Rights Charter, which provides the opportunity for civil societies to assemble and to voice freely.
He further indicated that a team of UNAMAURITIUS visited Rodrigues in December, whereby three key issues were identified as regards human rights, including acute water shortage, elevated levels of infected youth with sexually transmitted diseases by syphilis, and alarming cases of HIV/AIDS at Rodrigues.
He highlighted that these issues had been referred to the concerned ministries for necessary actions at their end while emphasising that UNAMAURITIUS is seeking the help of international agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations to support the Rodriguans in achieving their rights.