The Social Charter is a multilateral document consisting of 19 articles that provides for the promotion of human development, social justice and the well-being of all COMESA citizens. The main goals of the Charter are (i) promote the welfare of the people of the region; (ii) improve the quality of life; (iii) accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development; and (iv) enable all individuals from the region to live in dignity and realize their full potential. It focuses on the following 11 Strategic Pillars representing the main critical areas (1) Employment and working conditions; (2) Labor laws; (3) Social Protection; (4) Human Resource Development and Youth Empowerment; (5) Well Being of the Child; (6) Freedom of Association; (7) Community Development; (8) Education Training and Skills development; (9) Health Care; (10) Sustainable development and protection of the environment; (11) Sustainable development and elimination of harmful social and cultural practices. The development of the Member States is grounded on a number of general principles, mainly (i) Good Governance including participatory governance; (ii) cooperation and partnership; (iii) ban of any form of discrimination; (iv) protection of the ethnic communities, minority and vulnerable groups; (v) integrity and sustainable use of natural resources and the environment. In the field of the labor, the Charter calls for (i) the right to work including facilitating access to financial resources for the establishment of small and medium enterprises (art.5); (ii) minimum standards in the labor legislation (art.6); (iii) social protection and adequate social security in the work environment (art.7); (iv) creation of productive employment opportunities, including for persons with disabilities and the youth (art.8). Regarding children's rights, it is deemed important to (i) special protection as well as opportunities to enable them to develop to full potential; (ii) ban of abuse and exploitation; (iii) promotion of early childhood care, immunizations and nutrition programs; (iv) rehabilitation and re-integration of children in conflict with the law. As for education, it promotes (i) gender parity; (ii) adapted education for children with special needs; (iii) reduction of adult literacy. The protection of the natural environment shall be promoted through (i) dissemination of information on environmental preservation and best practices to protect the environment; (ii) mechanisms and strategies for the re-generation of forests and enforcement of regulations for forestry management; (iii) actions to combat desertification; (iv) mainstreaming of climate change in sector policies as well as adaptation to climate change in order to mitigate its impact on the region; (v) sustainable production and consumption mechanisms in the extraction of materials for production and disposal of materials after consumption as preventive measures to toxic waste exposure; and (g) promotion of eco-tourism and conservation of marine and coastal environments. Other important issues included in the Charter are (i) the right of freedom of association; (ii) the promotion of the involvement of the community in social, economic, political and cultural development programs; (iii) the attention given to the health care to attain the best attainable state of physical and mental health for the citizens.
2015-01-01