PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Thursday, October 23, 2008 - "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood," so says Article 1 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Fundamental rights and freedoms are apart of the 2006 Turks and Caicos Islands amended constitution. All humans, regardless of race, gender, colour, creed, nationality or religious affliction have the right to basic freedoms to which all people are entitled.
Since 1945 a series of international human rights treaties and other instruments adopted, conferred legal form on inherent human rights and developed the body of International Human Rights. In February 2008, I as Minister of Health and Human Services introduced the historical 2007 Human Rights Commission (HRC) Bill to the House of Assembly for debate; which was subsequently passed.
With this Bill in place, there comes the realization that individuals rights and freedoms were what was most important in our country, and the Human Rights Commission has been vested with that power to protect individual rights and freedoms. Because, to uphold human rights is not only a personal matter, but it is a moral imperative of which the Government has shown its commitment to, and we the people of this country, has also taken an interest in promoting and protecting human rights. In order to be a first world country, and or to play on the international arena - we must be apart of this global movement.
As recently as August, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government participated in Building Human Rights Capacity' in the British Overseas Territories (BOTs) of the Caribbean, Pacific and South Atlantic project'; which is follow up to the report of 2003 for the 'Realisation of Human Rights in the UK Overseas Territories' and the subsequent final draft in 2005.
As a Government, we believe in human rights, and we believe in the fundamental rights and freedoms and, the six core international conventions that our country signed on to. Human rights is important to the development of an individual. Human rights is important to the maturity our country; when it comes to peoples human rights, we want to ensure that all people in the Turks and Caicos rights are protected.
I hope that this International Human Rights Day, and every day that follows, we as a people live to uphold these rights, and protect the freedoms we value so dear.
I pray that you enjoy your day.
God bless you, and God bless these Turks and Caicos Islands."
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