Foreign Ministry holds consultative meeting

Manama, Jan. 24 (BNA): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized today the third consultative meeting with representatives of civil society institutions concerned with human rights. The meeting was chaired by the Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdulla bin Faisal bin Jabur Al Doseri. During the meeting, the Assistant Foreign Minister affirmed the importance of the role of civil society in the development and promotion of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain. "The ministry is keen to strengthen its partnership with civil society institutions to support efforts to promote and protect human rights and the preservation of human dignity, in implementation of the requirements of the reform approach of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the accompanying system of modern legislation and operational and judicial procedures, developed and effective in accordance with the National Charter and the Constitution and international human rights covenants", he said. He added that the meeting discussed a number of topics and issues on the agenda of the most important achievements and developments in the field of promoting human rights in the relevant legislation, laws, policies and programs, as well as a new law regulating the work of civil society associations and promoting them through the provision of adequate financial support and the provision of offices and the employment of administrators under the supervision of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in order to promote national work. He praised the interaction between the civil and official sectors in the field of human rights, which was accomplished by the Kingdom of Bahrain by receiving wide international praise as it discussed its periodic reports before the United Nations during the past year, including the second and third reports before the Committee against Torture under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the third periodic report of the Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights, the successful preparation of the first national report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the combined fourth to sixth periodic report of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the first and second reports on the protection and promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities. Al-Doseri said that these achievements are a source of pride and affirmation of the importance of cooperation and coordination between the official and civil sectors in the field of human rights in the Kingdom, affirming the continuation of this cooperation and coordination to continue with these achievements in line with the reform and democratic process, and meet the aspirations and enhances Bahrain's regional and international standing and comply with the Kingdom's obligations under international and regional human rights conventions. The representatives of associations praised the ministry’s call for the involvement of civil society in the process of upgrading human rights work, the Representatives of the Disability Service Center thanked the Ministry for inviting them to participate in these meetings and their communication with them as a key partner in the development process and community building.