Federal National Council denounces web-site report on human rights in the country

Abu Dhabi: Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC), has denounced a report found on a website regarding a number of issues and topics related to human rights in the UAE. "The report involves many fallacies that are not based on any foundation and contradict several other international organisations' statements which testify to the significant progress achieved by the UAE and its honourable record in various areas of human rights," the FNC Speaker said. These comments came during continuing discussions at the sixth ordinary session of the 15th FNC legislative chapter, which was held over two days to discuss the Children's Rights Law, and included the presence of Mariam bint Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs and Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Federal National Council Affairs. Al Murr stated that the report in its introduction offended the Emirati Judiciary, whose independence is guaranteed by the country's constitution, and was also contradictory to other reports issued by transparent, credible and professional international bodies which commended the legal and judiciary system, and which rank the UAE first in terms of the Middle East and North Africa, and thirteenth on the global level, according to the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2012-2013. He added that the report involved many contradictions to the concrete facts and the UAE's laws and regulations in the areas of freedom to form associations, freedom of expression, women's rights and empowerment, and the expatriate workforce. The report ignored the existence of a large number of public-benefit non-profit organisations widespread throughout the UAE dealing with various issues, community affairs and the atmosphere of freedom and openness to the media as witnessed by the nation. Al Murr said that the report also forgot the UAE's joining with, and its full commitment to, the decisions of various international conventions dealing with human rights in various fields. On a yearly basis, the UAE prepares a report on its progress in this regard to present to various international bodies dealing with human rights; and most recently its second report has been submitted in Geneva. A report was also submitted to the Arab League and all commended the UAE's progress in various areas of its human rights record. He also added that the web report is full of fallacies and is misleading with regard to women's rights in the UAE by ignoring the nation's accomplishments and the significant progress made in the field of the empowerment of Emirati women and achieving gender equality in various fields, which led to the country acquiring the European "Women In Parliament Award for Achievements in Closing the Gender Gap in the Arab World", in recognition of its efforts to advance women and promote gender equality. He explained that the report denied the update relevant to expatriate laws which guaranteed all the rights according to them by international conventions and the law recently passed by the Federal National Council on support services and home employment, ensuring their rights in various aspects. The FNC Speaker added that the Federal National Council, which has formed a standing committee for human rights which is concerned with handling everything related to human rights in the nation and updating relevant legislation in every aspect, denounces and condemns what has been done by the aforementioned organisation and the contents of its report "in toto", and calls for all organisations to investigate the accuracy, objectivity and fairness in its evaluations, and to base their reports on information, not impressions. He went on to say that it was better for the organisation to resort to the relevant institutions in the UAE to obtain information on various matters related to human rights, especially those contained in its report. He emphasised that the discussions of the Federal National Council yesterday on the draft law for Children's Rights is testimony to, and an expression of, the unremitting efforts of the state and its constitutional institutions "to achieve further progress and preserve the rights of every human being living in this good land, efforts which stem from its cultural, humanitarian heritage, and honourable religious values." - Emirates News Agency, WAM