Special rights mechanism for GCC planned

DOHA: A senior official at the UN Human Rights Commission has called on the GCC countries to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of their peoples in terms of safeguarding and promoting human rights.

The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-Wha Kang, while addressing a GCC workshop on human rights here yesterday said that the international body was working with GCC countries to develop a regional mechanism for promoting human rights.

“This mechanism should keep pace with international standards of human rights and fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the people in the region,” said Kang.

In the context of the Arab Spring, she said the UN office was keen to curb the human rights violations in the region and protect the lives of the civilians.

She said the proposed regional mechanism for promoting human rights will take into consideration the culture, traditions and social values of each country. It will also encourage mutual cooperation and exchange of ideas and experiences in the field of human rights between countries in the region.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, in his inaugural address delivered on his behalf by Sheikh Khalid bin Jassim Al Thani, Director of the Human Rights Office at the Foreign Ministry, said the establishment of a regional mechanism to promote and protect human rights in the GCC states came in line with the reformist approach followed in recent years in these countries in general and with regard to human rights issues in particular.

The Minister said this workshop was of special importance as it discussed the best practices in regional systems for the promotion and protection of human rights and coincided with the efforts of GCC countries to establish a human rights office at the GCC General Secretariat. This will pave the way for establishing a regional system to promote and protect human rights in member states in the future, he added.

The two-day workshop is organised by the Office of Human Rights at Qatar’s Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the GCC General Secretariat and the Doha-based United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia.

The workshop, attended by heads of government agencies concerned with human rights in the GCC states and the GCC General Secretariat Human Rights Office, comes as part of efforts aimed at promoting human rights and establishing a regional mechanism in this context.

The Peninsula


(2011-12-1/thepeninsulaqatar.com)