Qatar Supports Development of Arab League Human Rights System

Cairo, June 20 (QNA) - Qatar reiterated commitment to supporting efforts aimed to develop the Arab League's human rights system, finding new formulas for the development of the Arab Charter for Human Rights and activating the draft statute of the Arab Court for Human Rights, which was approved by last March's Doha Arab Summit. This came in a speech Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Chairman HE Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri gave before the fourth session of the Arab Parliament, which opened earlier in the day at the Arab League's headquarters. In his speech Dr. Al Marri reviewed the results of the Arab conference on the development of the Arab League human rights system which was co- organized by the Arab Network for Human Rights Institutions (ANHRI) and the National Commission for Human Rights(NCHR) in Doha on 3 - 4 June. Dr. Al Marri said that the conference reached a set of recommendations submitted to Arab Parliament and assigned QNCHR to establish a working team comprising representatives of regional organizations to follow up the implementation and activation of the conference's recommendations. He hoped that the Arab Parliament would seek the assistance of the team to achieve the aspired goals in order to develop the Arab League human rights system and finalize the draft statute of the Arab Court for Human Rights. QNHRC Chairman highlighted the importance of the conference's recommendations thereon, with regard to the contractual mechanisms to develop work of the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights, expand its powers, create a new post of the Arab League High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopt an independent mechanism for transitional justice. The Doha Arab Summit decision to invite civil society organizations of member states to hold a conference on the Arab League human rights system, as a further evidence of the belief in preserving and promoting human rights, Dr. Al Marri said. He urged the civil society organizations to push ahead efforts in this regard and promote the Arab League human rights system. (QNA)