Skip navigation


This information is being maintained for archive/historical purposes only.
It will not be updated.

 


 

Human Rights Today Caribbean Symposium

September 11-14, 2001

Resolutions

We, the participants at the Human Rights Today Symposium held in the Cayman Islands from September 11-14, 2001:

  1. Reaffirming the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in particular that the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world;
  2. Deeply conscious that disregard for human rights as exemplified by the outrageous acts of terrorism which have been perpetrated in the United States of America on the very day on which this Symposium commenced have resulted in barbarous acts that have outraged the conscious of all people;
  3. Recognizing that the traditions of freedom and justice in the Caribbean Region which have been created through centuries of struggle against oppression and exploitation as well as the richness of the Region’s cultural and ethnic diversities provide a unique opportunity to the Region to contribute to the creation of a better world of justice, peace and better standards of life in larger freedom;
  4. Accepting that human rights are universal and interdependent and should not be denied to any person whether on the grounds of race, gender, age, place of birth or residence, religion, political opinion, status or otherwise;
  5. Acknowledging that the promotion and protection of human rights are the lifeblood of every democratic society.

Be It Resolved That:

  1. It is the duty of Governments to promote and protect human rights and the rule of law;
  2. Governments are called upon expeditiously to draw up national action plans for the promotion and protection of human rights, to include broad-based educational and public information programmes on human rights; it is the duty of Governments to conduct programmes of public education in the field of human rights and of Governments to introduce in educational institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels (including law schools), schemes for the teaching of human rights;
  3. Governments should initiate a process of continual review and reform to ensure that those territories which have no existing constitutional guarantee of human rights incorporate such provisions in their constitutions and that States which already have such guarantees make such revisions as will bring them into conformity with international human rights norms;
  4. In conducting the processes of constitutional review and reform, Governments should procure the full participation of civil society and widespread public discussion;
  5. Governments should conduct a thorough review of existing legislative provisions to ensure they are in harmony with constitutional and conventional human rights norms;
  6. In the formation or reformation of Bills of Rights, savings clauses which preserve colonial or other laws which are inconsistent with the fundamental rights provisions must be excluded;
  7. In the promotion and protection of human rights, constitutional and legislative provisions must be made to protect family life, and the rights of children, the elderly, and the disabled as members of a family and a community;
  8. Governments have a duty to protect the security of the person and property of persons governed by them and victims who suffer injury or loss should be given appropriate compensation by the State; family members and communities are called upon to lend support to such victims;
  9. Cultural and ethnic diversity must be treated as a impetus to respect for the human rights of all and not as an excuse for restricting the full realization of human rights by some;
  10. The right to self-determination implies that decisions affecting the welfare of the people of any country or territory should only be made after full consultation with and approbation of the people of that country or territory;
  11. It is the duty of Government to provide human rights education to public servants and in particular court officials, law enforcement and prison personnel, customs and immigration officers;
  12. Regional and national non-Governmental organizations and inter-Governmental organizations concerned with men, women, children, labour, development, food, housing, health care, environmental, as well as other social justice groups, human rights advocates, religious organizations and the media shall undertake specific activities of formal and non-formal human rights education;
  13. Governments must accept as one of their primary responsibilities the provision of adequate resources and facilities for the administration of justice, including financial and material support for the court system, legal aid and free access to the courts;
  14. Lawyers and judges must remain sensitive to the principles of international human rights law and Courts must endeavour to apply these principles in adjudicating on questions touching on the human rights of any person;
  15. The independence of the judiciary is of cardinal importance to democratic Government, the rule of law and the ability of the judiciary to protect and enforce human rights. Governments are therefore obliged to ensure hat the method of appointment of judicial officers and the terms and conditions of judicial service are objective and fair and in keeping with the Latimer House Guidelines adopted in 1998 and aimed at attracting to and keeping in the judiciary, the most able jurists;
  16. Members of the legal profession, the judiciary and law enforcement officers must not be subject to political or any other intimidation or interference in the discharge of their responsibilities to protect the human rights of all citizens;
  17. Civil servants and others must not be subject to political or any other intimidation or interference in the discharge of their responsibilities to protect the human rights of all citizens;
  18. The democratic process must be strengthened by increased openness, transparency and accountability in public administration and the freedoms of information, expression and communication must be maintained and the independence of journalists protected;
  19. The Governments of independent States should expeditiously take appropriate steps to ratify and accede to the international and regional human rights instruments without reservations and to incorporate them into their domestic law; they should permit where available the rights of their citizens to submit petitions to the appropriate international bodies;
  20. It is the duty of Governments responsible for dependent territories to take appropriate steps expeditiously to extend, ratify and accede to, on behalf of the said territories, international and regional human rights instruments without reservations and commit the right of their citizens to submit petitions to the appropriate international bodies;
  21. In the process of reform of the criminal law, Government shall ensure that no legislation is passed that would infringe the rights of accused persons as established by international conventions or Bills of Rights;
  22. Governments should be encouraged to establish effective human rights commissions and/or offices of the ombudsman;
  23. The important role of teachers as the persons who are primarily entrusted with the education and sensitization of our children for the appreciation of their human rights should be recognized by Governments and teachers should be provided with the necessary means and appropriate terms and conditions to allow them to discharge all their duties and to ensure that suitably qualified persons are attracted to and kept within the profession.