CSOs urge Ghana government to facilitate and improve on Human Rights records

Two Civil Society Organisations, the POS Foundation and Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), have urged the Ghanaian government to facilitate and improve upon its human rights record. The two groups raised the issue during a discussion with media personnel in Accra, ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting that the United Nations Human Rights Council will hold next year.

The six thematic areas on which Ghana's human rights performance will be reviewed include media freedom, safety and attacks on journalists, affirmative action (women's political participation), abolition of the death penalty, LGBTQ+ rights, corruption and corruption and code of conduct for public officers, and disability rights issues.

Jonathan Osei Owusu, Executive Director of the POS Foundation, stated that implementation and enforcement of laws on these areas have been a challenge. He called for the swift passage of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers Bill, which, if enacted, would help curb corruption in the country. Owusu also urged government to pass the Affirmative Action Bill, which has been sitting in Parliament for some time, to further the fight against corruption.

The POS Foundation Executive Director also highlighted the need to pay attention to issues affecting women and children, and emphasized the importance of implementing and enforcing the recently passed Disability Act. The current Disability Act lacks the necessary legislative instrument to ensure its full implementation, according to Owusu.

William Nyarko, Executive Director of ACILA, noted that issues affecting the environment, such as galamsey, have had a negative impact on people's health, education, and food security. He stressed that Ghana's environment is being depleted, and that the country needs to use the UPR process to urge the government to put in place stringent measures to combat this environmental issue.

Regarding media freedom and safety for journalists, Nyarko expressed concern over recent reports of journalists being arrested. He said these reports are not beneficial for Ghana. The ACILA Executive Director also called for better support for institutions like Ghana's Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which has been facing challenges in its operations recently.

Nyarko commended Ghana for progress in affirmative action and the abolition of the death penalty, but noted that stagnation has occurred in media freedom and sexual minority rights issues.