News

On the 12th March 2014, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, submitted his report to the United National Human Rights Council. He concluded that “extrajudicial killing, rape and other forms of sexual violence, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment in detention, denial of due process and fair trial rights, and the forcible transfer and severe deprivation of liberty of populations has taken place on a large scale and has been directed against the Rohingya Muslim population in Rakhine State.”

Emirates News Agency commended the work of the Geneva Centre in “promoting values of mutual understanding to work against discrimination”, and expressed hope for the “effective democratic transition in Egypt”. Al Ittihad News also welcomed the Geneva Centre as a strong civil society voice advocating for human rights advancement on the ground.

The Minister reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment to cooperating with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and noted that a delegation from her Office is currently in Bahrain engaging in consultations to draw up a Programme of Technical Assistance and Capacity Building. H.E. Sheik Al Khalifa thanked the High Commissioner for this invaluable support, which will “help [Bahrain] to further incorporate international human rights standards into our national laws and policies” and “promote an enduring human rights culture”.

Mr. Elmarghani thanked Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commisioner for Human Rights, and all members of her office for their efforts to promote and protect human rights in Libya. He also thanked the delegation of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and their efforts to establish the rule of law in the nation.

He highlighted the UAE’s efforts to increase protection of women and workers in the region, and noted that “we will soon be enacting a law to enhance protection for domestic workers [and] we acknowledge that more needs to be done. We consider this area to be an evolving challenge that I assure you, we will continue to address”.

Dr. Al Aiban said that his government is “pressing ahead towards achieving its commitments in the field of human rights”, and reiterated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s support for “local, regional, and international UN organs and mechanisms…in particular the Human Rights Council.”

Emirates News Agency reported that H.E. Ambassador Obaid Al Zaabi called upon Ambassadors of countries in the MENA region to consider the importance of human rights training, and the role that education can play in the development of a healthy and open society.

Kuwaiti Ambassador H.E Jamal Al-Ghoneim observed that the Geneva Centre’s training programs “reflect the ambitions of students from the Gulf to highlight the universality of human rights, and to show that human rights are fully consistent with Islamic cultures and traditions”.

Kuwait News on the Establishment of the Geneva Centre

Emaratalyoum news agency has expressed its approval of the Geneva Centre’s human rights training programs, and reports that negative stereotyping of the MENA region by the Global North, and vice versa, can be addressed through human rights education which stresses the universality of all rights.