Qatar yesterday urged the international community to step up efforts to stop the violations and crimes perpetrated by the Syrian regime and compel it to reach a political solution.
Only such a policy can end the Syrian crisis and meet the aspirations and legitimate demands of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and justice, Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah al-Henzab, Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations Office in Geneva said yesterday.
He was speaking at the “Interactive Dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic” Session held within the framework of the 33rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Al-Henzab thanked the members of the International Commission of Inquiry for their report, saying that the Syrian regime has no credibility and that the international community should not count on its commitment to implement the agreements reached.
He referred to the Commission ‘s fact-finding on the violation of the February 2016 cessation of hostilities agreement, through the regime’s and its allies’ use of indiscriminate and disproportionate aerial bombardments of civilian populated areas.
The ambassador urged the international community to stand against the Syrian regime’s insistence on putting obstacles to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, which includes aid deliveries in Syria’s besieged cities, stop violations and war crimes committed by the Syrian regime on a daily basis and compel it to reach a political solution to end the crisis, meet the legitimate aspirations and demands of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and justice and contribute to building the country’s future as a democratic country in implementation of the Geneva I Communique and UNSC resolutions.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic was set up by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011 to investigate human rights violations during the Syrian conflict, al-Henzab said.
Various reports from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic have revealed war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 2011 and identified the perpetrators, he said, expressing his disappointment over the international community, especially the Security Council’s failure to ensure criminal justice towards the grave violations committed in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons.
Such an attitude has resulted in further abuses against the Syrian people and damaged the credibility of the United Nations, the ambassador said.
Also yesterday, Qatar called for adopting policies of international co-operation based on the revitalisation of equitable global partnerships and focus on bridging the gap between developed and developing countries by providing unconditional development aid.
This came in a speech by Legal Researcher at the Foreign Ministry’s Human Rights Department, Noemi Mohamed al-Hajri, before the General Debate under Item (3) on the Report of the Working Group on the Right to Development in the framework of the Human Rights Council.
Al-Hajri thanked the Working Group on the Right to Development, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on their reports provided to the Human Rights Council during this session, and praised the efforts undertaken by the Working Group in order to reach the final wording of criteria for the realisation of the right to development.
Al-Hajri said that the right to development as a human right is a basic pillar for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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