Tanzania: Government urged to ratify conventions against poverty
Published on Thu, 2011-12-01 08:57
Tanzanian civil society organizations are unhappy with the government’s failure to ratify some international agreements that should guarantee the promotion of people’s development, said Armando Swanya, from the Southern African Human Rights NGO Network (SAHRiNGON), focal point of Social Watch in that country. Swenya cited the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1976, which the government of Tanzania had not ratified yet. This and other international agreements are important in pushing ahead efforts to fight against poverty, he said. At the same public debate, that marked the World Poverty Day in Dar es Salaam, the executive director with Disabled Organisation for Legal Affairs and Social Economic Development (Dolased), Gideon Mandesi, said that Tanzania has signed a number of global conventions in relation to the rights of people with disabilities, but their rights had not been granted as required. “We can not fight against poverty while leaving out vulnerable groups in the society,” he said, calling for review of the country’s education system to provide more chances for children with disabilities, according to an article written by journalist Lydia Shekighenda, of The Guardian newspaper. Mandesi said that there should also be a system of monitoring various recommendations and policies for effective implementation. For his part, Mussa Billegeya, member of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) in Tanzania, said that among the challenges facing civil society in the country was the perception of intervention of the non governmental organizations in the politic arena. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Samia Suluhu said that the government had been playing its part to fight against poverty, but every one in the society should do the same to ensure that poverty was scaled down. She added that the problems facing people would be fought effectively if everyone works hard. Source » |
