International Conference on Integrating Human Rights Into Public Policies Kicks off

Conference on Integrating Human Rights Into Public Policies

The International Conference on integrating human rights into public policies, which is organized by Doha-based Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions, has kicked off today in conjunction with the19th General Assembly of the Arab Network.

The conference is convened with wide participation from the network's partners, Representatives in OHCHR, UN Development Programme and Arab Institute for Human Rights with the participation of Representatives from the entire national institutions members in the Arab Network, including civil society organizations, government authorities, in addition to the entire stakeholders.

HE Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah said in remarks, delivered on behalf of her by HE Assistant Secretary-General of the NHRC Sultan Bin Hassan Al Jamali, that the Arab Network has been operating actively and effectively with full transparency during the past period in the pursuit of achieving the noble goals and mission to protect and promote human rights in the Arab region through opening cooperation prospects, sharing experiences and the best practices among the member national institutions in the Arab Network and the Network's partners from organizations, regional and international authorities, confirming that the institutions of the network and their partners spared no efforts or support that would primarily enable the network to discharge its duties and achieve its goals, and have subsequently enriched its program and increased its effectiveness in alignment with the needs of member national institutions.

HE Al Jamali added that the conference is waiting to hear further opinions, perspectives and the anticipations of the member institutions and partners in the first session of the conference to be further discussed in the upcoming meeting of the General Assembly within the context of formulating the operational action plan proposal of the network for the remainder of 2022 and 2023, in commensurate with the diversity of program topics implemented by the network during the past ten years. HE Al Jamali reviewed the most crucial programs implemented by the Arab Network during the past decade, including International Conference for Freedom of Opinion and Combating Hate Speech and Extremism, International conference on human rights-based approach, combating torture, discrimination and racism, and promoting democracy. He said that The Arab Network has also worked on building and raising capacities, organizing seminars, educational events and conferences, preparing guides and providing consultations, supporting emerging institutions, and urging sovereign authorities in countries to strengthen the independence of their national institutions to be more compatible with the Paris Principles, and general observations of the Global Alliance Accreditation Subcommittee.

HE Al Jamali noted that all those programs would have not been achieved if the General -Secretariate had not received the primary cooperation of the member institutions in the Network, in addition the support of OHCHR partners, particularly Doha-based UN Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre, in addition to the constructive and active cooperation with the Arab League General-Secretariat, committees and Departments, including UN Development Programme, Arab Institute for Human Rights and UNESCO with whom the state of Qatar aspires to work, specially OHCHR pertaining to education issues impact on human rights.

NHRC Secretary-General, and on behalf of the Chairman of the NHRC, has so far handed over the Chairmanship of the network to the Mauritanian Commission for Human Rights, represented by its Chairman, Salem Bouhabini, to chair the Network in its 19th session.

On the sidelines of the conclusion of the sessions of the first day of the conference on Integrating Public Policies in Human Rights and the 19th General Assembly of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Arab Network and OHCHR, represented by the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region with the aim of establishing a framework for mutual cooperation between the two parties pertaining to the promotion and protection of human rights, bolstering mutual coordination between them, and sharing experiences in the field of human rights.

The memorandum stipulates that the areas of cooperation between the two parties will be in developing the capabilities and skills of the staff of national human rights institutions in the Arab region, raising the awareness of human rights in the Arab region, disseminating information with the objective of promoting human rights at the state and community levels, as well as promoting the inclusion of human rights education in formal education systems in the Arab region, including basic, secondary and higher education and vocational training, and holding training courses, workshops and conferences to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights, in addition to conducting joint studies and research in the fields of human rights on issues of common interest, and exchanging information in the field of protection and promotion of human rights.

(QNA)