The two-day event on ‘Human Rights Approach to Conflict Situations in the Arab Region’ was opened in the presence and under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The conference is organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in co-operation with the General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers and the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions.
NHRC chairman Dr Ali bin Sumaikh al-Marri in his address at the opening session highlighted that the challenges faced by the region are very critical and governmental and non-governmental agencies must work together to resolve them.
Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mohamed bin Ali Koman, secretary general, General Secretariat of the Arab Interior Ministers’ Council; Al-Taieb Baccouche, secretary general of Arab Maghreb Union; Adel Abdulrahman al-Asoomi, deputy chair of the Arab Parliament; Hamad bin Rashid al-Marri, assistant secretary general for legal affairs, Gulf Co-operation Council, as well as Issa bin Said al-Kayyumi, chairman of Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions were present at the opening session.
Several dignitaries and officials from regional and international governmental and non-governmental organisations of human rights as well as heads of regional and international investigative committees and other institutions are attending the conference.
Al-Marri stated that the present challenges lead to the emergence of armed groups and the spread of hateful, sectarian ideas. "All the armed conflicts in the Arab World presently are due to the failure to provide social, political and economic rights to the people. They also lead to marginalisation of many sections in the embattled societies.”
He also highlighted some of the civil wars and crimes against humanity, particularly in Syria, Yemen and Iraq and highlighted that the refugee crisis was yet another challenge facing the region.
“The real way to fight extremism is by respecting human rights.There must be a dialogue which should establish the groundwork for transitional justice. Terrorism has no place in countries that respect rights, freedom and social justice. There is no security without respect for human rights. The way forward is to build bridges between countries and cultures,” he noted.
Officials who spoke at the opening session highlighted the need for more dialogue for resolving the issues and pointed out that education and cultural understanding are the two major steps to bring the situation to normalcy.
According to the organisers, the conference highlights NHRC's role in promoting human rights, especially during times of conflict and crises and shows Qatar’s efforts in promoting human rights and settling conflicts to enhance international peace and stability.
