Fulfil international human rights obligations to freedom of religion - African MPs urge govts

African legislators have called on governments across the continent to fulfil their international human rights obligations to respect and protect  the right to freedom of religion or belief.

They said governments must cultivate a healthy political culture and end the misuse of religion for political purposes in order to ensure that everyone, regardless of their religion or ethnicity, had access to equal and free political participation.

“Protect the right of all individuals to hold and express their religion or belief freely and without fear of persecution or discrimination, in line with human rights standards,” they said.

Accra Declaration

This is contained in a declaration, dubbed “The Accra Declaration on Freedom of Religion and Belief”,  which the legislators adopted at the end of the eighth International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IPPFoRB) academy in Accra last Thursday.

The parliamentarians from Ghana, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Malawi signed the declaration at the end of a three-day academy,  which equipped them to be advocates of freedom of religion or belief in their respective countries.

The event was jointly organised by the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA) in collaboration with the IPPFoRB.

Prevent violent attacks

Per the declaration, African governments must assess needs and put in place programmes to provide aid and support to those forcibly displaced due to ethnic, religious or other persecutions, including the provision of water, sanitation, hygiene, food, psycho-social trauma care and other human rights.

The MPs said such programmes must also include local faith-based actors in the coordination and delivery of humanitarian response.

“Devise and implement concrete national action plans to prevent violent attacks or violations based on religion or belief, and to enable those displaced by religious persecution to return home.

“Prevent and respond effectively to attacks against faith-based organisations and communities,” they said.

Repeal repressive laws

The parliamentarians further stressed the need for governments to repeal repressive and discriminatory laws at all levels, from national to local, that threaten the right to freedom of religion or belief.

Besides repealing discriminatory legislation and cultural practices that particularly  affect women and girls at all levels, governments must take decisive action against those who commit religious-based hate crimes, discrimination and violence against minority groups.

The legislators also hammered the critical need for states to lift all restrictions to the Maputo Protocol and the Convention on the ‘Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.’

“Introduce reforms to ensure equal rights to inheritance of land and property for men and women.”, they stated

Joint commitment

Realising the important role of parliamentarians to uphold freedom of religion or belief, given their responsibilities in law-making, oversight and representation to contribute to positive and sustainable peace in the region, the participants also declared their commitment to do their bit to promote and protect the human right to freedom of religion or belief in Africa.

The legislators also expressed their commitment to ensure the laws and policies related to freedom of religion or belief complied with international human rights standards at all levels.

To increase gender parity in all political representation, the MPs pledged to introduce and support legislation that enhanced gender quotas for party lists, reserved seats and campaign finance reforms that levelled the playing field.