A two-day workshop on “the legal prospects for asylum” got under way at the Officers Club of Civil Defence yesterday.
The workshop has been organised by the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A number of officers from the MoI and representatives of Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS), the National Human Rights Committee and Qatar Social Work Foundation are attending the workshop.
Among the dignitaries who attended the opening of the programme were Brigadier Abdullah Saqr al-Mohannadi, director of the Human Rights Department, UNHCR’s GCC regional representative Khalid Khalifa and head of the International Organisation of Migration – Kuwait office, Eman Erekat.
Brigadier al-Mohannadi said the workshop is the result of joint efforts between the MoI and the UNHCR regional representative in the GCC.
He emphasised the importance of building up the capacity of police personnel in the field of human rights and establish effective partnerships with regional and international bodies to achieve this goal, highlighting the connection between the themes of the workshop and Arab Human Rights Day on the importance of peaceful co-existence as it is related to the human rights of refugees. He observed that peaceful co-existence includes, in its broad meaning, countries, individuals and groups on the basis of acceptance of diversity and difference as the fundamental pillar of societies at all political, economic, social and cultural levels. Any tension on these platforms will constitute a serious challenge to peace and social security, as well as a major source of conflict and crisis-producing phenomena of asylum and displacement.
Khalifa said the workshop comes as part of extended partnership and co-operation between the UNHCR regional representative and MoI in order to contribute to raising awareness and knowledge about asylum issues as well as to the building of national cadres, exchanging experiences and finding the best ways to co-operate with them.
Hajar Musa, senior protection officer at the regional office of the UNHCR in the GCC, Dr Yousif al-Daradkeh, protection officer at the regional office of UNHCR, Dr Khalid Diyab from QRCS, Dr Osama al-Alousi from the Human Rights Department and Naha Maarof from the protection office at the regional office of UNHCR were among the participants of the workshop.
Officials at the workshop.
