15 The Government Human Rights Commission had been created by an Order of the first Vice-President of the Republic n° 120/VP1/002/2000 of 11 May 2000. It had been completed by the Order n°120/VP//04/2005, of the Vice-President of the Republic relative to the appointment of the members of the Government Human Rights Commission. It is an inter-Ministerial Commission and comprises 16 members. Its basic mission is to safeguard respect for Human Rights in the country. It is placed under the supervision of the Ministry for Human Rights and Gender Issues. Today the process for the establishment of a National Independent Human Rights Commission which respects the Paris Principles is underway. The Government has already adopted it. At this point in time the draft is before the National Assembly. PART THREE: SPECIFIC INFORMATION RELATIVE TO EACH PROVISION OF THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS Article 1: Recognition of Rights, Responsibilities and Freedoms by the Member States The Member States of the Organization of African Unity, Parties to the present Charter recognize the Rights, Responsibilities and Freedoms enshrined in the said Charter and undertake to adopt legislative or other measures for their implementation. Following the ratification by Burundi of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on 28 July 1989, the country became a stakeholder to several of the diverse international and regional human rights protection and promotion instruments. In recall, up to 2008, it had already more than 25 Human Rights Conventions and Protocols the most significant of which in the area of human rights constitute: - The Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted on 9 December 1948, entered into force on 12 July 1996 and Burundi acceded to it on 22 July 1996. - The Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment adopted on 10 December 1984, entered into force on 26 June 1987, Burundi ratified it on 31 December 1992. The Initial Report had been prepared and defended before the Committee. - ILO Convention n°87 relative to the freedom of Association and the protection of the right to organize, adopted on 9 July 1948, and entered into force on 4 July 1950 and ratified on 11 May 1993. - The Convention on the Political Rights of Women adopted on 20 December 1952, entered into force on 7 July 1953 and ratified on 31 December 1992.