Tunisian Prime Minister Naglaa Boudin announced on Thursday 27th July, 2023 the start of preparations for a national action plan in the field of business and human rights, Anadolu news agency reported.
This came in a recorded message released during a national conference held in the capital, Tunis, and shared by her office on Facebook.
“Tunisia is keen on respecting human rights and consolidating the foundations of sustainable development,” Boudin said in her message, explaining that the plan comes within the framework of asserting that “human rights are universal, comprehensive, interdependent and indivisible.”
She added that the “enjoyment of civil and political rights cannot be guaranteed without guaranteeing economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development,” stressing that Tunisia’s accession to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is the result of a firm will and a clear vision.
She also expressed her country’s readiness to implement the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The prime minister indicated that the initiative coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she said “constitutes an opportunity to consolidate the gains of the private sector, as a major tributary in wealth creation.”
Last month, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, expressed “deep concern” about Tunisia’s “retreat” in the field of human rights, including the increasing restrictions imposed on the right to freedom of expression and press. This was rejected by the Tunisian Foreign Ministry.
