Bahrain's rights accomplishments praised

Manama, Jan. 24 (BNA): Assistant Foreign Minister Abdulla bin Faisal bin Jabur Al Doseri has praised the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights and the preservation of human dignity, affirming the continuous efforts to achieve the aspirations of this important field in implementation of the requirements of the reforms of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to build a modern civil state in accordance with the National Action Charter and the Constitution of the Kingdom and its cultural heritage. This occurred as the assistant minister chaired the 21st meeting of the High Human Rights Coordination Committee which was attended by members of the Committee, representatives of Ministries and other relevant official institutions such as the Legislation & Legal Opinion Commission. Al Doseri conveyed to the members of the Committee the greetings of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chairman of the Committee, on the occasion of the decision of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister to re-establish the Committee, and his wishes of success to the Committee in its work. The Committee discussed a number of topics on the agenda, including the drafting of a national human rights plan aimed at supporting and developing national efforts in the field of human rights promotion, as a policy and practice of the Kingdom to promote human rights, reviewing a number of national reports prepared by the Kingdom to fulfill its obligations under international and regional human rights conventions such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Arab Charter on Human Rights, the Committee also discussed a number of questions received from different quarters, and how to coordinate and communicate with them. The assistant minister thanked the Ministry of Labor and Social Development for its efforts in preparing reports on children's rights and the rights of persons with disabilities. The assistant minister said that the Committee has recorded with great pride a number of achievements that the Kingdom has made during the recent period, most important of which is the launch of the King Hamad Award to enable the world youth to achieve the goals of sustainable development. It was the first of its kind on the global level, reflecting the responsibility of the Kingdom of Bahrain in paving the way for young Bahrainis and the world to participate in the development of creative and professional ideas that achieve the UN goals of sustainable development. Other achievements include the launch by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa His Majesty the King’s Representative for Charity and Youth Affairs, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Charity Foundation, of the "Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain" as a global document for the promotion of religious freedom, and the launch of the King Hamad International Centre for Interreligious Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence in Los Angeles, after the establishment of the King Hamad Chair for Interreligious Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence at the University of Sapienza, The Kingdom also succeeded in reviewing its third national report under the universal periodic review mechanism for human rights at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the report received wide international praise because of the Kingdom's interest in the promotion and protection of human rights in its territory and its reference to all the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain during the last four years since the review of its second national report in 2012. The Committee also praised the adoption by the United Nations of Bahrain's leading experience in the reform of the labour market, in particular the flexible work permit as one of the best international practices. Bahrain was ranked first in the world among the attractive destinations for expatriate workers in the 2017 annual Express Insider Index, distinguished in indicators of family life, job satisfaction, occupational safety and security at work. The assistant minister said that the continuous achievements confirm the kingdom’s progress towards the promotion and protection of human rights and political, civil, economic, social, cultural and religious freedoms. The progress represents a strategic approach within the framework of the continuous reforms of His Majesty the King, and the Government’s efforts in developing and modernising national legislation in accordance with the Constitution and international covenants. In this context, he referred to the Kingdom's implementation of its voluntary pledges to the Human Rights Council and the constructive cooperation with the Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and openness to credible international organisations. The Committee, established by Decree 50/2012 issued by His Royal Highness the Prime Minister and represented by official bodies concerned with human rights, is responsible for establishing a coordination mechanism to ensure the best policies and to prepare a national plan for human rights at the government level to be presented to the Cabinet for approval. It also helps prepare the reports which Bahrain is committed to submitting in accordance with the conventions that it has joined in the field of human rights, to coordinate in the preparation of responses to data and questions related to human rights issued by organisations and associations in Bahrain and abroad, and to submit their recommendations or views on human rights issues to the Cabinet.