The Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta houses Malta’s Office of the President of the Republic and the House of Parliament The department for integration will also keep continuous contact with government departments, particularly to ensure that recent legal advances are fully implemented. It will be tasked with creating the necessary programmes, including training to help our government structures strengthen the integration of all. The setups of the two structures I refer to above should help us drive forward our human rights and equality agenda. This is what we promised before entering government and this is what the government aims to deliver. The year 2015 will be another important one for the strengthening of human rights in Malta. The Commonwealth Summit 2015: A human rights opportunity? I have stressed the need to take concrete action in cases where individuals or a segment of society are denied the right to equal opportunities and the full protection of their human rights. In November 2015 Malta will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, commonly known as the Commonwealth Summit. I augur that this would serve as an opportunity to raise the debate on human rights in general, particularly on women’s and LGBTI people’s rights. As a human rights and equality minister, I look forward to personally contributing to this important meeting. First, we need to admit that, in the field of human rights, significant divergences exist within the Commonwealth member states’ national legislation and policy, in spite of the fact that each person’s intrinsic dignity D i v e r s i t y a n d s o c i a l c o h e s i o n and rights are the same irrespective of nationality or where they live. I believe that all countries have their own stories to tell and would benefit from the best practices of others in fields where their performance in not yet optimal. Dialogue will enrich all of us, and hopefully we will be able to agree on providing greater value to the Commonwealth Charter and its mission to enhance democracy, human rights and the rule of law. My ministry, through its role in the Commonwealth People’s Forum, will seek to encourage dialogue on the matters I raised above. In fact, the People’s Forum will be an opportunity for fellow ministers and myself to interact with CSOs on matters that affect people the most – their liberty to exercise their citizenship rights free from discrimination or other human rights violations. Ultimately, it is these exchanges that make the Commonwealth and any other international organisation relevant. I reiterate the call for change made by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to all Commonwealth member states during his speech on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Commonwealth, at the London School of Economics and Political Science: Having history as our sole bond is clearly not enough in today’s world. In order to be relevant, the Commonwealth should be about the people rather than diplomats. ... It should be about the future rather than the past. Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2014/15 75 DR HELENA DALLI is Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties for the Republic of Malta. Lakov Filimonov / Shutterstock.com
CEP template 2012
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