Bahrain’s human rights strides hailed

Manama, Mar. 18 (BNA): Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabur Al-Doseri, attended today a ceremony held by the Council of Representatives on the occasion of the Arab Human Rights Day, held under the theme "the role of the government institutions in activating the human rights principles of the National Action Charter." He hailed the role of the Representatives Council in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain through the successful activities of the Council with the participation of all segments of society.This contributes to raising awareness on the importance of human rights, and and highlighting the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights. Al-Doseri said that the Council of Representatives is one of the results of the reform approach of His Majesty the King, which granted citizens the opportunity to elect those who represent them in the parliament. He also said that the Council has contributed, through its legislative role, to issuing several laws that strengthened the march of human rights in the Kingdom, and guaranteeing all the natural rights of the citizen, including the right to life, freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of religion and belief. The Assistant Foreign Minister said that the Kingdom of Bahrain, under the reform approach of His Majesty the King, has made many achievements in various domains, especially in the field of human rights, which received the recognition of many countries of the world in international forums. He underlined Bahrain’s efforts to develop the legislative, legal and institutional systems for human rights, as it stressed the importance of the rule of law and its application on all, which contributed to increasing tranquility and safety among citizens, whose rights are protected by the Constitution, the law, and fair judiciary. He said that Bahrain highlighted, through its reports to the United Nations regarding the achievement of development goals, the results of important steps taken to diversify its economy to help increase productivity, raise living standards and provide jobs for citizens, among many other achievements. The reports noted the extraordinary achievements over the past years and the commitment of the Kingdom to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and integrating them into national development plans and successive government programs of action. The Assistant Foreign Minister added that the Kingdom reinforced the role of civil society organizations, as there are over 600 civil societies registered in the Ministry of Labor and Social Development. These societies practice their activities freely, including human rights societies, for whom the country provided wide opportunities for legal work. The Ministry also announced recently the provision of financial support and training programs to these societies, on the condition that they abides by the law. In addition, the Kingdom of Bahrain affirmed its commitment to all international obligations regarding human rights, through its submission of its national periodic reports to UN bodies. The Assistant Foreign Minister noted that the Kingdom has submitted 4 period reports last year. In March 2017, the Kingdom submitted its first periodic national report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The report reviews the articles of the Covenant, the basic procedures adopted and the related legislation. The Kingdom also discussed the 2nd and 3rd periodic national reports before the Committee against Torture under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, on 21 April 2017. The Kingdom submitted its 3rd National Universal Periodic Review for human rights in February 2017. The Human Rights Council adopted the Kingdom's report on 21 September 2017, where many delegates from the participating countries of the 36th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva praised Bahrain's stance towards the recommendations contained in the report of the working group on the 3rd Comprehensive Universal Periodic Review. The Kingdom’s periodic report combining the 4th to the 6th reports on the progress achieved in the Convention on the Rights of the Child was also submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva in September 2017. In October 2017, the Kingdom's periodic report combining the 1st and 2nd reports on the progress achieved in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was submitted to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva. The Assistant Foreign Minister praised the role of the Arab League in the promotion of human rights in all Arab countries, lauding its allocation of a day to be celebrated as the Arab Day for Human Rights to highlight the most important steps taken by all Arab countries to safeguard the dignity of the Arab citizens and ensure the sustainability of all their natural rights. He also referred to Bahrain's recent signing of the Statute of the Arab Human Rights Court, based in Manama, upon the call of His Majesty the King to establish an Arab Human Rights Court. He expressed his hope that all Arab countries ratify the Statute of the Court to enter into force and safeguard the rights of the Arab citizens. (MOFA)