About PFHRGD

Who are we

The idea and need PFHRGD was envisioned with an enormous commitment to work for victims of human rights violations through out the world. PFHRGD is a platform for members of parliament (MPs), cutting cross party lines, and catering for the need to discuss and act on human rights violations in the world on general and in India specifically. Any member of Rajya Sabha (Upper House) or Lok Sabha (Lower house) may become a part of the PFHRGD. PFHRGD was established in 2003, and has more than 150 members. Its members believe in promoting and protecting the human rights of all citizens, as enshrined in the Indian constitution and national laws and ensured by the Human Rights Act of 1993. Moreover, PFHRGD honours all international treaties signed by India to protect and ensure human rights of all citizens, including children. The Inter-Parliamentarian Union’s “Human Rights – Handbook for Parliamentarians” serves as a guideline for the forum’s work. It is based on the belief that human rights must be in the core of development processes and that a collective effort must be in place for this to happen. As a result of this, PFHRGD aims to have a global outreach, and seeks to establish parliamentarian forums for human rights all over the world.

Background

The Parliamentarian Forum on Human Rights – for Global Development (PFHRGD) is based on the principles found in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration is grounded in the recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. It is a provision for human rights in all the members states, and should be protected by all governments. As stated by former UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan: “Human rights are foreign to no cultures and native to all nations; they are universal”.

PFHRGD was established as a recognition of the need to further strengthen the human rights on a international scale and holds that a global outreach is essential in the human rights work. Members of Parliament (MP) possesses great power and PFHR aims to exercise it in a collective manner to respect, protect and promote the human rights. PFHR believes in an international effort through establishing parliamentarian forums for human rights in other countries and cooperation cutting cross both party and state boarders.

Human rights are building blocks in a democracy, as they defend each individuals right to take part in decision making processes and contribute in public affairs. For this democratic right to be exercised, each individual must be able to enjoy freedom of expression, assembly and association, and basic economic and social rights. The human rights are interconnected and cannot be separated. The parliament in a country is one of the key institutions in a democracy and essential in the protection and promotion of human rights. The parliamentary activity as a whole – legislation, adopting the budget and overseeing the executive branch – covers the entire spectrum of political, civil, economic, cultural and social rights and thus has an immediate impact on the enjoyment of human rights. The international Inter-Parliamentarian Union (IPU) holds that parliamentarians should act as guardians of human rights. PFHRGD supports this statement and seeks to promote this sentiment among Indian Members of Parliament.

Former Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Kofi Annan stated that today’s main human rights challenge is to implement the already adopted human rights standards. This is also the situation in India. The constitution of India is distinctive for its commitment to provide full political, economic, social, and cultural rights to all its citizens irrespective of caste, creed, religion or race. The significance of India’s constitution is also immense for its mixed policy adoption on liberal and socialistic norms of governance. The idea of the welfare state enshrined in the spirit of the Indian constitution’s Preamble is another significant feature of Indian democracy. Since its independence, many acts, laws, and amendments have been passed to initiate, enhance and guarantee the peoples’ rights. Examples are the Panchayati Raj system, Right to Information Act and Right to Education. However, there are several resultant limitations concerning the level of implementation of these rights. There continues to be violation of human rights and non-implementation of socio-economic programs. As India has experienced a seven percent annual growth rate since 1997, is named the biggest democracy in the world and works to get a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, the country and its politicians must take its human rights violations seriously and be a role model for other developing countries.

Objectives

• To organise the Members of Parliament across party lines

• To promote and protect human rights

• To monitor the cases of human rights violations

• To monitor the overall welfare and development policies and programmes

• To organise field visits

• To interface and work with the victims of human rights violation in India

• To formulate mechanism for the victims

• To gave a global outreach through the establishment of similar forums in other countries

• To promote global development