The advisory group to the president on human rights came into being yesterday, gearing up for an overhaul of Taiwan's human rights conditions.
Speaking to endorse the new group yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (
"By 1971, when our country was still a UN member state, we had signed up to endorse as many as 11 international covenants on human rights. Today, even if we're kept out of the UN, we cannot isolate ourselves from the international human rights system," Chen said at the formation of the advisory group yesterday.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
In his inaugural speech on May 20, Chen became the first president of Taiwan ever to raise concrete measures on the protection of human rights, making pledges on the ratification of the International Bill of Rights, creation of an independent human rights commission and cooperation with international human rights NGOs.
The advisory group, composed of more than 20 advisers, has been set up as the first step toward the fulfillment of the president's pledges on human rights. In the meantime, the group is charged with establishing the principles and organizational framework of the National Human Rights Commission.
Vice President Annette Lu (
"There are only 70 days to go before this century comes to an end. In this century, mankind has erred a great deal, with the powerful suppressing the week, the rich bullying the poor and men discriminating against women," Lu said.
"Now, at the start of a new century, we hope we can terminate all the inequality and suppression seen in the past. The advisory panel has been set up to review facts, to restore justice and to end all the errors we've made," the vice president said.
The advisory group is divided into six sub-groups, with each assigned to specific tasks with regard to improving human rights. Above all, the group will give advice to the president on human rights policies and report to him on the human rights situations in Taiwan.
Other tasks range from promoting human rights awareness and education, reviewing existing legislation and investigating cases of human rights abuse.
Moreover, it is also charged with incorporating international human rights bills into the domestic legal system, either by means of creating new laws or amending the Constitution.
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