Muscat: The Foreign Ministry has welcomed the Security Council’s adoption of a resolution by the majority calling for a cessation of hostilities in the Republic of Sudan, and considers this resolution an important step toward achieving stability and peace in Sudan....
Read more on: https://www.omanobserver.om/article/1150738/oman/community/foreign-ministry-welcomes-un-resolution-on-sudan
Millions of Commonwealth citizens will benefit from improved people-centred access to justice as law ministers concluded their meeting in Zanzibar yesterday with a package of new measures and pledges.
The package was shaped by four-day deliberations among ministers, with input from diverse stakeholders, including people with disabilities, civil society representatives and leading innovators in the legal sector.
As part of this package, ministers resolved to ramp up efforts to remove barriers to access to justice and address the legal needs of all citizens.
Key provisions include improved access to justice for people with disabilities, a model law on virtual assets, a new action plan to protect women from online violence and a proposal to eliminate gender-discriminatory legislation.
Ministers also welcomed an array of new Commonwealth legal resources, including a mediation guide, a small claims court app for dispute resolution and a database for cooperation on criminal matters.
Additionally, they adopted the Commonwealth guidelines on the treatment of electronic evidence in criminal proceedings, designed to offer member countries a framework to craft national legislation.
To support the implementation, ministers requested the Commonwealth Law Ministers Action Group to report progress at the next meeting.
The package summarises the outcome statement issued by ministers, representing one-third of humanity, at the end of their meeting on 8 February 2024.
'A powerful mandate'
Speaking after the meeting, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, said the measures were "absolutely critical" because two-thirds of the world's population lack meaningful access to justice.
She continued:
"Our discussions have been purposeful, our decisions have been meaningful, and our powerful new consensus allows us to take the next giant steps forward towards equal access to justice, in modernised legal systems, across our wonderful Commonwealth.
"We leave Zanzibar with a powerful mandate which will allow us to take the next decisive steps to ensure justice for all is the lived experience of every one of the 2.5 billion people living in our Commonwealth."
In their statement, ministers recognised the Secretariat's tech-driven justice solutions and its work on artificial intelligence as important interventions in improving access to legal information and transforming justice delivery in today's complex world.
The Secretariat also presented several papers in the field of energy and extractives, including a carbon tax model law and an oil and gas decommissioning guide, which leverage legislation in efforts to tackle climate change and deliver a just transition.
Substantive outcomes
Hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania from 4 to 8 March 2024, the meeting was chaired by Hon Ambassador Dr Pindi H. Chana, the country's Minister of Constitutional and Legal Affairs, who commended the substantive outcomes.
Officiating the closing ceremony on 8 March 2024, H.E. Hussein Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, said:
"I am pleased to note that the meeting has recorded a number of achievements, which challenge us to undertake reforms in an effort to ensure that justice is accessible to all.
"I am aware of efforts that the Commonwealth countries have taken to shape its agenda on the rule of law and access to justice. It is high time that you made the same efforts on access to justice through digitisation."
The outcomes from the meeting will shape the agenda for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year.
The next meeting will be hosted by the Government of Fiji in February 2026.
All National Government electronic advertisements will now be disseminated through the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) upon authorization by the Government Advertising Agency.
This follows a directive made through a letter to chief executive officers of state corporations, independent commissions and public universities by Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Prof Edward Kisiang’ani.
According to Prof Kisiang’ani, this move aligns with government policy of reviving ailing public sector entities and ensuring that any public-private partnership is not skewed against public sector.
“In light of the foregoing, all public sector electronic (radio and television) advertisements from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fall under the National Government, Independent Commissions and Public Universities shall be handled by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) upon authorization by the Government Advertising Agency,” said Prof Kisiang’ani in a letter dated March 7, 2024.
The decision is further supported by the large network coverage the national broadcaster offers, a factor which the ministry says guarantees wide reach by advertisers.
Additionally, the directive is expected to boost the funding to the corporation as the government embarks on its revival through a modernization framework in order to make it a premier national broadcaster in the Africa.
“This effort requires the national broadcaster to take the lead in the dissemination of information in Kenya,” he added.
The directive is also on the backdrop of a circular by the National Treasury published in 2015 which led to the formation of GAA which has since centralized public sector advertising in a bid to cut costs through efficiency in the procurement process.
This comes as government targets to reduce the amount of pending bills owed to the media industry while maintaining smooth flow of public sector advertising services.
A recent report by the Communications Authority of Kenya indicates that out of Ksh 16.1 billion advertisers spent on media between July and September 2023, television had the largest allocation at Ksh 10.9 billion followed by radio at Ksh 3.6 billion and print Ksh 1.6 billion. By Ronald Owili, KBC
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