Luanda — With the legislative election of 2008 and the coming into force of the Constitution of the Republic, in February 2010, Angola entered a new era in the conquest and protection of human rights.

This was said Monday in Luanda by the Angolan minister of Justice and Human Rights, Rui Mangueira.

Minister Mangueira was addressing the main event of the celebrations of the 64th anniversary of the International Day of Human Rights, December 10.

The official on the occasion recalled that Angola is a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council since 2007, of the African Union and of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), attaching importance to actions of defence of security and peacekeeping.

"We are a country with a future, but which still experiences the marks of a long lasted armed conflict, which makes us pay a special attention to people with disabilities, considering the adhesion to existing international conventions," he stated.

According to the minister, the above actions are meant for one more goal of the Governance Programme of paying a special attention to the improvement of the living of the people living with disabilities.

"Angola is for the first time in its history experiencing a context that enables it to progress on the basis of duly outlined strategies, and can in this context set as priority the consolidation of a system of justice at the service of human rights," the minister also said.

Rui Mangueira also said that the Government Programme is committed to permanently implementing, in partnership with the civil society, actions directed to the protection of human rights, with the aim of creating and supporting the improvement and efficacy of the organs that deal in the promotion of these vectors.

"The Executive works in democratic interaction with institutions of the civil society on documents that help strengthen participative democracy, and runs programmes for education and respect for human rights involving state and private organisations, including students," the minister added.

The ceremony that went with the theme "For a culture of human rights," was witnessed by the presiding judge of the Supreme Court, Cristiano André, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly João Lourenço, the first lady, Ana Paula dos Santos, MPs, Government officials and accredited diplomats.