According to the Article 3.1 of the Law on National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, is an organization which monitors the implementation human rights and freedoms stated in the Constitution and other laws of Mongolia and international human rights treaties of Mongolia and protects and promotes human rights in Mongolia. Moreover, the Commission enjoys power to supervise the implementation of international human rights treaties, submit recommendations in this regard, to promote legislations and international conventions on human rights, and to conduct advocacy work supporting the ratification of or accession to international human rights treaties.
Mongolia abolishes death penalty
Mongolia abolished death penalty with the Parliament passing the Law on Ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 5 January, 2012.
To date, the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia conducted a number of studies regarding the use of capital punishment individually and jointly with civil society organizations such as Amnesty International. The Commission has been advocating against death penalty through a variety of means including its annual reports on the situation of human rights and freedoms in Mongolia. It issued successive recommendations to abolish death penalty in the annual reports which also referred to the conclusions made by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture who visited the country in 2005 and treaty body observations that advised abolition of death penalty in Mongolia.
After hearing the Commission’s annual reports, the Standing Committee on Legal Affairs of the Parliament made resolutions in 2008 and 2010 assigning the Cabinet to take actions to implement the recommendations of the Commission.
The National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia expresses its gratitude to all our partners walked shoulder-to-shoulder in advocating against death penalty and applauds the decision of the Mongolian Government to put an end to death penalty.
Since UN General Assembly adopted Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in December, 2006, National Human Rights Commission has taken much effort on having it ratified by the State Great Hural of Mongolia. Briefing about activities on this by the Commission is as follows:
The Commission has carried out wide range campaign of training and promotion on the Convention. The Commission, for the purpose of acquainting content and importance of the Convention to the decision-makers, public, citizens with disabilities, and civil society organizations working on the issues related to the rights of persons with disabilities, published "Rights of people with disabilities”, "UN Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities” manual for decision-makers, Guidebook "ABC for Right Communication”, and simplified version of "Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities” and disseminated to the public. Moreover, handbooks and legal information on people with disabilities were published in the forms of audio and Braille and disseminated to the people with disabilities. The Commission has been having TV programmes, series of trainings, and short advertisements broadcasted on citizens with disabilities in cooperation with media organizations. Delivering an open letter to the members of the State Great Hural calling out to ratify the convention and providing them with detailed and systematic information has become efficient activity.
Another set of activities was focused on refining the legal environment of persons with disabilities. In 2006 in cooperation with the Office of the President and National Federation of Disabled People’s Organization of Mongolia, the Commission organized National Forum "Rights of the Disabled People” under the auspices of the president. In addition to this, having reflected the issue on persons with disabilities in the 2007 report on human rights and freedoms in Mongolia, it submitted to the State Great Hural a suggestion to refine the legal environment of the disabled people and to ratify the Convention. Based on the report the Standing Committee on legal affairs released a resolution and supported to improve the legal environment of the disabled people. As a result of these activities the State Great Hural made amendments to the 13 laws related to the people with disabilities. The Commission’s cooperation with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour in the draft law on ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities effectively intensified the process of the ratification of the convention.
The Commission supported the efforts of and cooperated with government organizations and non-government organizations to have the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ratified. It was certain contribution to the improvement of human rights knowledge of activists on disabled people’s rights that we organized trainings to strengthen the capability of civil society organizations.
As a result of these actions, Mongolia adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 13 May, 2009.
In activities to Italian Association Amici di Raoul Follereau – AIFO (Italian non-government organization) cooperated with the Commission as an important partner.
