From News 24

Namibia’s ombudsman on Tuesday announced the country’s first human rights action plan for implementation over five years.

“In order to mark the upcoming 25th independence anniversary of Namibia next March we should show a stronger desire to entrench human rights principles more effectively,” Ombudsman John Walters said at the launch in Windhoek.

“No country has a perfect human rights record, including Namibia; we acknowledge that we face a number of imperfections, gaps or challenges, but to address them we need a national plan to address the human rights concerns of all Namibians,” Walters added.

Development of the plan started in 2009 to fulfil the programme adopted at the world conference of human rights in Vienna, Austria, in 1993, which culminated in the Vienna Declaration.

According to the declaration, states should identify ways to improve protection and promotion of human rights.

The action plan sets annual targets from 2015 to 2019 and focuses on vulnerable groups like orphans, the poor, people with disabilities, and marginalized communities like the San.

Read more at News 24