The National Human Rights Committee, represented by His Excellency Mr. Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, Secretary-General of the Committee, participated in the work of the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. In his participation on the rights of persons with disabilities and freedom of religion or belief, Al-Jamali affirmed that the National Human Rights Committee puts the issue of the rights of persons with disabilities at the top of its priorities, pointing out that the development of the concept of disability in Qatari society provides an opportunity to change the quality of services provided to persons with disabilities.
Al-Jamali called on the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and all the national institutions it represents in the world to present the information and ideas, which came within the scheduled report on persons with disabilities, for public dialogue in their societies, the media and decision-makers, as well as persons with disabilities themselves, and he said: We must listen to them. -People with Disabilities- and reimagine service provision in the 21st century, which is our role and we pledge to capitalize on the effort made in this inspiring report. While the Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Committee called for a clear speech, declaring the complete rejection by national human rights institutions of all practices of intolerance and extremism, and our belief in the values of moderation, tolerance and coexistence with the other, the most important of which is freedom of religion and belief.. noting that one of the most important roles of institutions Al-Watania Al-Youm spreads a culture of tolerance and moderation, and said: "The culture of human rights has proven its ability to extend the moral element with unprecedented force, as it can constitute a comprehensive starting point"Pointing to the principle of universality enjoyed by these rights that transcends political, geographical, linguistic and cultural boundaries, and through which there is a possibility to achieve peace and coexistence, and to participate in sustainable development that is consistent with our humanity and is not at its expense. In the same context, the National Human Rights Committee participated in the regional meeting of the board members of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF). The regional meeting is an opportunity for Forum members to consider issues relevant to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, review the work of the Asia Pacific Forum over the past half year, discuss issues of mutual interest among member institutions, and network with other interested partners and stakeholders. Participating in the meeting were member institutions of the Asia Pacific Forum, invited observers from representatives of UN agencies, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (‘GANHRI’), and National Human Rights Institutions (’NHRI’) that have applied for, or intend to apply for, membership. APF and relevant stakeholders to attend the meeting as observers. The meeting decided to submit the annual operations plan for the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 for consideration and approval by the Governance Committee, and the plan defines the activities of the Asia-Pacific Forum for the period 2023-2024 to meet the goals of the strategic plan of the Asia-Pacific Forum, and the Asia-Pacific Forum identified four outcomes These results will measure the effectiveness of the Asia Pacific Forum in influencing the human rights environment in our region. The meeting emphasized that more NHRIs in the Asia-Pacific region that are in compliance with the Paris Principles can safely exercise their mandate and have strengthened their capacity to effectively promote, protect and respond to human rights issues. The National Human Rights Committee also participated in the high-level annual meeting and the General Assembly of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, which adopted in its strategy over the next five years to support the establishment, strengthening, accreditation and development of the capacities of national human rights institutions, protecting them when exercising their mandate, and uniting their members at the level and make them cooperate and interact with each other and with others, as well as providing leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights, bringing the voice of national human rights institutions to the United Nations and other relevant global forums, and acting as a professional, effective, well-managed and efficient organization.
