The Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organising a training workshop, in co-operation with the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region in Doha and the Treaty Body Capacity Building Programme in OHCHR in Beirut.
The workshop, which will continue until Thursday, deals with the role of national mechanisms in preparing reports, following up on recommendations and working with international and regional human rights mechanisms, with the participation of representatives of various ministries, institutions and relevant civil society organisations.
The workshop aims to enhance the national experience in Qatar by advancing the four main tasks and roles of the national mechanisms for preparing reports and follow-up, as well as the study of regional and international comparative experiences in establishing national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up.
In his opening speech, HE the Assistant Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Youssef al-Thani said that the organisation of this workshop, which comes in the framework of continuous co-operation between Qatar and the United Nations, reflects the increased interest the country attaches to the issue of the promotion and protection of human rights, which represents a strategic choice for it and forms the backbone of its comprehensive reform policy.
He stressed that human development and the protection and promotion of human rights are at the top of Qatar's priorities, pointing out that this was underpinned in Qatar National Vision 2030, the first National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and second National Development Strategy 2018-2022, which included important points that touch on main issues of human rights in the fields of education, health, the environment, the rights of expatriate workers, women's empowerment and children's rights.
Meanwhile, the Director of the UN Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region Dr Abdel Salam Sidahmed said that the topic of the workshop is of interest to the UN General Assembly and member-states, adding that they seek to support the capabilities of mechanisms in Qatar to interact more with the international mechanisms and the various contracting parties.
He added that the accession of Qatar to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a good step and a framework for the promotion of human rights in Qatar.
