Historic Agreement signed: Bahamas to host Caribbean’s first OHCHR regional office

Nassau, Bahamas: A historic agreement has been signed between the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to establish the first regional office for OHCHR in the Caribbean.

It is to be noted that this initiative was adopted by the Human Rights Council on 12 October 2023.

This agreement was signed on Tuesday, 20th August 2024, by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frederick A. Mitchell M.P.

The Agreement that has been signed will govern the regional office will work on promoting and protecting the fundamental human rights across Caribbean. It will further keep a check on the implementation of human rights obligations that have been undertaken by the Governments in the Caribbean region.

It will include all those implementations that have introduced either through the signing or ratification of international human rights treaties.

Further, the officials stated that this signing is an achievement of a significant milestone in the history of the Bahamas. It demonstrates the dedication of the country in following the principles that have been set out in the United Nations Charter and by following all the core values that have been designed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Achievements of The Bahamas

The officials stated that the island nation has been continuously working to protect and promote human rights both at domestic as well as international levels.

The Bahamas is signatory to several UN Human Rights Agreements, which includes the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Additionally, the Bahamas has been internationally recognized for serving as the member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) for the 2019-2021 term.

Further, with this historic appointment the Bahamas has become the first country amongst the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and among the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to hold this position.

Moreover, the country has provided a unique perspective on several issues as the member of HRC, which got them the opportunity to co-sponsor and support the HRC’s resolution related to the human rights, climate change, right to food, right to work and right to development.

Significantly, the Bahamas has also served as the Bureau’s Vice President in 2021 and have represented the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean States (GRULAC), and also chaired the HRC Task Force on accessibility for Persons with Disabilities.

Also, a Bureau of Human Rights and Human Security was launched by the Ministry in November 2023. With this launch the Ministry has become the main point of contact to handle the human rights issues. This will further help the country to achieve their human rights goals.

The authorities have also announced that the regional office of the OHCHR is anticipated to start its operations in the coming months.