OHCHR Country Framework - General Context

Below is part 1 of my take on human rights in Singapore, using the OHCHR Country Framework as a guide. I hope to use this as a systematic tool to evaluate human rights in Singapore. Part 1 doesn't look related to human rights (to a Singaporean), but if you peel past a few layers, you can "imagine" some scenarios. For example, the presence of several ethnic groups suggests that racial equality may be an issue to be discussed.

1. GENERAL CONTEXT
1. Official name of country:
   
1. Republic of Singapore
2. http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/
2. Geographic location:
   
1. South-East Asia
   
3. Area:
1. 707.1 square kilometres
2. http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/keyind.html
4. Terrain (topography):
   
1. Mainly flat
5. Infrastructure:
1. Internal - expressways, trains, buses, taxis, cars
2. External - airport, port, train
   
6. Capital city:
1. No capital city, most facilities associated with a capital city located in the Central Business District (CBD)
   
7. Other major cities:
1. Regional towns: Woodlands, Tampines, Jurong
   
8. Climate:
   
1. Characterised by uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall
2. http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=1088
9. Water resources:
1. Malaysia
   
2. catchment areas
3. NEWater
4. desalination
   
10. Ethnic groups:
    
1. Chinese
2. Malay
3. Indian
4. Other
11. Languages:
1. English
2. Chinese
3. Malay
4. Tamil
   
12. Religions:
1. Buddhism
2. Taoism
3. Islam
4. Hinduism
5. Christianity

A systematic approach to tackling human rights violations

With so many human rights issues , how does one decide which one to tackle first?

NGOs often blame governments for not tackling issues systematically, but what about the NGOs themselves?

There are several "systems" to consider.

• Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country framework
• Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International (HURIDOCS) OpenEvsys system
• Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process

I used inverted commas for systems, because the 3 above are very different animals.

• The OHCHR country framework is useful as a FAQ into the background of a country
• The HURIDOCS system is a database used to document human rights violations
• The UPR is a new UN process where each country's human rights record is reviewed periodically (Singapore is due for reporting in 2011)

I think I'll start with the OHCHR country framework. Actually, I have to admit that I first came across this document in 2006. The project has stayed dormant. I hope to kickstart the process again...

U60 - 60 years of human rights

U60
The UDHR is 60 years old next month. Do attend any of the U60 events to commemorate this historic occasion, and reflect on human rights in Singapore.

OpenEvsys

HURIDOCS Portal
This is a (in-progress) project worth keeping track of. Basically, it's a web-based system for managing information about human rights violations. For too long, NGOs have been rallying for change using catchy phrases, big numbers, etc. It's imperative that an evidence-based approach is adopted. We shouldn't be having a campaign just because the international community is having one. We need to ask if the same human rights violation is happening in Singapore.

p.s. Looks like it's time for me to pull up my socks and finish up my long dormant project of putting the UN Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring into practice.