REMARKS BY THE UNDP DEPUTY RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE MR. ERNEST FAUSTHER, AT THE OPENING OF THE ONE DAY SEMINAR FOR SENATORS ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND HIV/AIDS -
LESOTHO SUN HOTEL, 23 MAY 2007

Honourable President of the Senate
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Senators
Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour for the United Nations Development Programme to participate in this important conference on Human Rights and HIV & AIDS. It is by now well known that HIV & AIDS is one of the biggest challenges facing the Kingdom of Lesotho. Lesotho has been gravely impacted by HIV, which has been declared a national emergency by both His Majesty King Letsie III and the Right Honourable Prime Minister. With a prevalence rate of 23.2% Lesotho ranks third highest rate in the world. 57% of those infected with HIV are women and girls. HIV is not only a health issue but also an issue which impacts upon all sectors of society – it is an issue of basic human rights for the citizens of Lesotho. Therefore, I should like to start by saying how delighted I am that you as Honourable Senators - and leaders of society in Lesotho - are gathering together today to discuss these crucially important issues of human rights and HIV & AIDS.

The Government of Lesotho has paid particular attention to several important issues that impact on respecting, protecting, promoting and fulfilling human rights, including the establishment of a Human Rights Unit in the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Correctional Service. The United Nations Development Programme has been working closely with the Government in providing technical assistance to fulfil the aim of establishing a Human Rights Commission in Lesotho and we hope to see significant moves forward this year towards achieving this goal.
Nevertheless, there are still many important human rights issues that require closer scrutiny despite the important steps forward that I have mentioned. Amongst these priority areas are the rights of women, of the child, of disabled persons, the detained, and those discriminated against as a consequence of suffering from HIV & AIDS.

With regards to HIV, the Government and the United Nations in Lesotho recognize that poverty, food insecurity and the high prevalence of HIV have led to a number of problems including a reduction in Lesotho’s development gains of the preceding decades, child prostitution, and huge challenges in the delivery of essential public services. Added to this is the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children as a consequence of the pandemic, with the latest estimate now being put at more than 100,000 children. Another key challenge that the Government has recognized is the stigma and discrimination endured by people infected and affected by HIV. In response to this, the Government has launched a nation-wide campaign to encourage people to test and to know their HIV status. If the Government of Lesotho is to succeed in the aim of radically increasing the number of Basotho who know their status, we must show that the human rights of those living with HIV should not, and will not, be abused. Unfortunately, this is not always the case today. That is why this conference will look at the HIV & AIDS response in Lesotho and, in particular, the correlation between those infected and affected by HIV & AIDS, and the negative impact on various basic human rights that unfortunately still follow.

Amongst other themes, the conference today will examine:
• The link between human rights and HIV in Lesotho;
• Issues such as the rights of people infected and affected by HIV, especially people living with HIV, women, orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs);
• The complex relationship between poverty, food insecurity, gender issues and HIV & AIDS, and how these issues are in fact human rights issues.

In looking at these themes, we discover that “Human Rights” is not an abstract concept but rather an issue which is at the very heart of the day to day lives of people in Lesotho. Indeed, in his reform report “In Larger Freedom”, published in March 2005, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, re-emphasised the centrality of human rights in furthering development agendas, indicating that neither development nor security can be enjoyed without respect for human rights.

But today is also about much more than the themes that I have already outlined. Today’s conference is tangible indication that members of the Senate are part of the national frontline in the fight against the HIV pandemic and its effects on human rights. The United Nations Development Programme is committed to working with Government and all stakeholders in tackling these issues. We hold the firm belief that Principal Chiefs and other Senators have a critical role in changing Basotho society for the better.

We recognise, further, that over past years, Parliament has discussed the issue of HIV & AIDS and, indeed, you have shown your commitment in accelerating efforts to respond to the pandemic. Many of you have submitted to Voluntary Counselling and Testing and some of you have sat on the Senate HIV & AIDS Select Committee. The United Nations Development Programme recognises that both Houses of Parliament have outlined their commitment to creating one Joint Select Committee on HIV & AIDS in order to increase Parliament’s effectiveness, and we are committed to assisting you in this aim.

We are grateful, once again, to the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Correctional Service and to the Senate for the opportunity we have been given, as the United Nations Development Programme, to contribute in assisting with your work. The United Nations Development Programme is committed in continuing with this close working relationship. The fact that we have a UNV Human Rights Specialist, Peter O’Sullivan, working in the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Correctional Service, and a UNV Parliamentary Support Specialist, Dyfan Jones, working in Parliament, highlights our continuing commitment. The United Nations recognises that a strong parliamentary democracy is a key factor in assisting the Government of Lesotho in delivering on development and meeting the people’s needs and aspirations. It is for this reason that we have always attached great importance to our cooperation programmes with the Parliament of Lesotho. This one day seminar on Human Rights and HIV /AIDS is a supportive activity in that continuing programme.

Lastly, I should mention how thankful UNDP is to the Regional Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for the support they have given towards organization of this seminar. We are doubly so for having among us here to-day the Director of the Regional Office himself, Mr. David Johnson, who thought nothing of braving the cold of the last few days to be with us. The success of a seminar depends in large measure on the ability and disposition of participants to share ideas and experiences. I know that Mr. Johnson is ready and willing to share his knowledge and experiences on the twin challenges of HIV/AIDS and human rights. Equally, I am confident that Honourable Senators will themselves also be willing to share their own views and knowledge on these topical issues. We should all leave this seminar much richer for the exchanges we shall have had. And, by the same token, we should all, as participants and facilitators, be significantly more informed about these issues and thus, better able to address them in our respective areas of responsibility.

I thank you for your kind attention and wish you a fruitful seminar.