Call for Arab countries to boost human rights protection

THE first Arab Conference on Human Rights, held in Doha on 14 and 15 December, concluded with a call to the Arab League and its 22 member countries to work towards guaranteeing the rights of all groups in society, particularly women, children, migrant workers and refugees.

The conference, the first since the Arab Charter on Human Rights came into force in March, brought together representatives from human rights organisations across the region, along with ministers of justice of some Arab countries, to look at ways to boost the role of the Arab League in the protection and promotion of human rights.

The Asia Pacific Forum, represented by Secretariat Director Kieren Fitzpatrick, also took part in the discussions.

Participants called for a regional human rights work plan involving the Arab League, national governments and civil society organisations. They also urged Arab governments to develop a supportive legal framework and to establish mechanisms for improved protection of human rights, including an Arab Tribunal for Human Rights.

The conference communiqué encouraged all Arab countries to ratify and comply with international human rights treaties, as well as the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

“We hope the Arab countries which do not have national institutions for the protection of human rights can set up their own soon in a way that complies with the relevant international standards,” the communiqué said.

The concluding statement also called for efforts to strengthen a “free and responsible” media, as well as civil society organisations that can serve as human rights watchdogs in the region.

A further recommendation was the establishment of an Arab Fund, under the umbrella of the Arab League, to promote human rights.

Participants called on the Arab League to hold the conference on an annual basis and designated 16 March as the annual human rights day in the Arab region, marking the date the Charter came into force.

The two-day conference, organised jointly by the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar (a member of the APF)  and the Arab League, was held to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

UAE to establish human rights commission

The United Arab Emirates is in the process of setting up a National Human Rights Commission and introducing human rights education at the primary level, according to a senior government official quoted by the National Press Trust of India (5 December 2008).

"The UAE is now in the process of studying the establishment of a national human rights commission in the country, in line with the Paris Principles," said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash.

The UAE has had a challenging but progressive track record on human rights issues, the Minister said in a statement delivered in Geneva before a UN Working Group reviewing the UAE's fulfillment of human rights obligations.

"The UAE respects the integrity of every individual that resides in the country. Its commitment to guarantee equality and social justice for all citizens is ingrained in the Constitution," he said.

“The government is aware of the significance of its human rights record and is investing its energies to modernise laws and practices.”

Gargash said the UAE is committed to studying the framework for accession to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.