Chairman’s Message that, in its view, are violations of human rights or which seriously impede the promotion of human rights. As a national human rights institution established as enjoined by the UN, it is expected to act in an objective, balanced and professional manner – expressing criticism or commendation as and when appropriate – and to serve as a bridge between the Government and members of civil society, in the interests of promoting and protecting human rights with the support and cooperation of all stakeholders. There remains criticism in some quarters that the Commission lacks authority and is unable to carry out its proposals and recommendations. This relates to the perennial issue of empowerment. Hence, efforts will continue to persuade the Government to vest the Commission with additional authority and a broader mandate through further amendments to Act 597, in the hope that these efforts will ultimately yield positive results. In the meantime, the Commission will carry out its mandate as effectively as it can under the current legal provisions. To generate greater interest in human rights issues and to honour individuals, organisations and the media for significant contributions to the protection and promotion of human rights, the Commission has instituted Human Rights Awards to be presented annually on the occasion of World Human Rights Day. The Awards have been well received by members of civil society who feel that this is a good way of showing public recognition of deserving contributions. Clearly, education plays a pivotal role in creating awareness and understanding of the universal principles and norms of human rights at all levels, as well as in building zero tolerance of abuse of any kind. More effort needs to be made to ensure that knowledge of human rights is spread in uniform – not patchy or selective – mode. In broadening the scope of education to include understanding of human rights, the Commission has worked closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to involve more secondary schools in its human rights programme. The Commission maintains its belief in the importance of inculcating human rights values at an early age and looks forward to persuading the MOE and the Government to introduce human rights as part of the primary school curriculum – as is done in a number of countries, including some in the region – so that a culture of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding is learnt during the formative years. Equally important is the role of civil society organisations and the media; hence the importance the Commission attaches to its programme of engagement and dialogue with these groups. They can and should play an informal monitoring role as human rights defenders in contributing to the creation of a human rights culture of tolerance and understanding, and in curbing violations. In this regard, it is the Commission’s hope that the mainstream media will be more supportive of the promotion and protection of human rights by providing space for the Commission’s statements, which more often than not are published on a highly selective basis, and mainly by the alternative media. The Commission takes note of, and appreciates, the responses of the relevant government agencies to its previous Annual Reports, which have given the Commission the opportunity to assess the government’s commitment to the improvement of the human rights situation. Nonetheless, it is the Commission’s view that its Annual Report should be fully discussed 5