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APF set to open West Asia office

Graphic: Doha, Qatar

The APF’s new sub-regional office in Doha, Qatar will be officially opened on 11 April 2016 with a two-day seminar.


The APF's new sub-regional office in Doha, Qatar will be officially opened on 11 April 2016.

To mark the occasion, the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar and the Arab Network for National Human Rights Information will jointly host an information seminar on "Establishing NHRIs in line with the Paris Principles and the Role of NHRIs and the International Human Rights System".

Participants will include representatives from NHRIs in West Asia and North Africa, officials from governments in the region that have not yet established NHRIs, civil society organisations in Qatar, UN officials and media representatives.

The two-day seminar will highlight the unique role that NHRIs play in promoting and protecting human rights, showcasing many positive examples from APF members in West Asia.


The opening of our new office is a very exciting development for the APF and we are grateful for the leadership and commitment of the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar.

Asia Pacific Forum Logo Kieren Fitzpatrick, Director, APF secretariat

The new office will meet the growing demand for APF services in countries across West Asia, said Kieren Fitzpatrick, Director of the APF secretariat.

"Our goal is to deliver a broad range of human rights training, advisory and capacity building services that respond to the needs of national human rights institutions, governments and other stakeholders," he said.

The APF sub-regional office in Doha is planning to host four training-related activities in 2016 in order to deepen regional expertise in the work of NHRIs and to strengthen relationships in the region.

Each activity will be facilitated by leading experts and draw on the skills and experiences of APF members in West Asia.

"Another priority is to meet with governments in West Asia to encourage them to establish an independent national human rights institution, as well as to offer support to those governments that are in the process of doing so," said Mr Fitzpatrick.

Date: 10 March 2016


Image credits

  1. Doha, Qatar - tai_mab, Flickr; http://bit.ly/1VOGGTY