Bahrain’s first periodic report discussed at Arab League

Cairo, Jan. 28(BNA): The Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabur Al Doseri affirmed the continued efforts of Kingdom of Bahrain's to implement its obligations to ensure the protection of human rights and promote respect for them at the legislative, judicial and executive levels. He also stressed the Kingdom's huge and pioneering achievements in the fields of democracy, protecting rights and freedoms, as well as the human, political, economic and social development in education, health, communication, information and sustainable development, which are aimed at ensuring human dignity and emphasizing the means of human and social progress and development. This came during the speech delivered by the Assistant Foreign Minister before the Arab Human Rights Committee at the League of Arab States in Cairo, on the occasion of discussing the Kingdom of Bahrain's first periodic report. The Assistant Foreign Minister stated that the continued progress in the field of human rights shows that the Kingdom's commitment to respecting these rights stems from its Muslim, Arab, Humane culture, believing that respect for these rights is a national commitment before it is a regional or international commitment, and constitutes the firm foundation for respect and preservation of the dignity of the individual, the prestige of the nation and the development of society. He also noted that he witnessed the legal progress represented by numerous legislation in various areas, including the emphasis on the role of women in society, children’s rights, the protection of the family, and the policies and programs that emphasize the respect for human rights, including the Government's Programme of Action 2015-2018 entitled "Towards Justice, Security and Welfare of Community" and the Kingdom’s vision 2030 based on the principles of justice, equality and competitiveness, and creating the appropriate environment to support the work of associations and political, cultural, juridical, professional and national participation, away from sectarian and sectarian polarization, as evidenced in the parliamentary and municipal elections held in November 2018 with 67% voters turnout, the highest in the history of the Kingdom of Bahrain. He also added that the average participation of women reached 48%, and the percentage of female candidates in the Council of Representatives rose from 8% to 14% of the total number of candidates. He also added that the number of female candidates in the 2014 elections increased from 22 to 40 in 2018. He also said that for the first time in the history, a Bahrain woman was elected as the Speaker of the Council of Representatives. He also stressed the close link between human rights and sustainable development, which the Arab Charter on Human Rights clearly refers to. He added that the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development is based, on the one hand, on international human rights standards and ensuring the decent living of human beings and, on the other hand, on the close connection between peace, security, and development. He added that without development, peace cannot be achieved, and without security and peace, development will not be achieved. He also expressed that the greatest challenges faced by Arab countries are extremism, wars, conflicts and the division and isolation of people on ethnic, religious and sectarian bases, which slows progress in the country and threatens its safety and security. He also added saying that these challenges should not distract us from continuing to work on our plans of openness and integration, as well as the development of education, the protection of investment and intellectual property to achieve the desired prosperity. The Assistant Foreign Minister affirmed that the Kingdom of Bahrain is proud of its outstanding human rights record, which is based on modern constitutional and legal texts, including the National Action Charter and the Constitution, as well as regional and international charters to which the Kingdom of Bahrain has joined. He pointed out that the comprehensive development in the Kingdom of Bahrain is based on the respect for freedoms and rights in a society that guarantees the rule of law and the independence of the legislative, executive and judicial authorities with their cooperation in accordance with the Constitution, a society based on equality and non-discrimination, a society whose political ruling is based on Shura (Consultative Council), which is the ideal of governance in Islam, and the participation of the people in the election of representatives in the Council of Representatives so that both councils achieve the will of the people. He added that the national legislation, policies and programs ensured the promotion of popular participation in the political and public affairs, the protection of human rights, such as the rights of the child and the elderly, care and rehabilitation of persons with special needs, combating trafficking in persons and protecting migrant workers. The Assistant Foreign Minister referred to Bahrain's most important civilizational initiatives in the field of human rights, including the "The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration" as a document emphasizing the importance of peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance, and the reference of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on several occasions, that the Bahraini society "builds on a long tradition of spiritual and cultural coexistence and tolerance" and that "the society of Bahrain presents a model for all the peoples of the earth, the people of different faiths and civilizations who live side by side in an atmosphere filled with friendliness and familiarity and harmony between the component and segments of society, whether they are citizens or residents who came from different parts of the world". He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration coincides with the Royal Decree No. 51 of 2018 establishing the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Co-existence, which aims to promote world peace and coexistence among people through the embodiment of the cross-cultural participants, and to start a developmental movement by raising awareness of the importance of dialogue, as well as combating extremist ideology that fuels violence, hatred and terrorism. The Assistant Foreign Minister affirmed the Kingdom's efforts to promote the spirit of citizenship and human rights among students, to spread the culture of peace and moderation, tolerance and coexistence, and to reject hatred, extremism and violence in schools by developing a curriculum of citizenship and promoting respect for human rights for all school levels, In cooperation with UNESCO. He noted that the election of the Kingdom for a membership in the Human Rights Council for the period 2019-2021, and the United Nations Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for the period 2019-2022, along with other memberships, reflects some aspects of respect given by the international community to the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights as this election mirrors the international confidence in the wise policy of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Majesty's keenness to consolidate all rights and freedoms and effective and organized collective action with our allies and friends to achieve the goals and objectives of the UN, the Arab League, the GCC and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. He added that this achievement marks the culmination of the continued and sustained efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain to promote respect for human rights as a basis for progress in all fields. He also praised the achievements of the Kingdom, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the efforts of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and the support of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. He also pointed out that the rule of law, integrity, and independence of the judiciary are the basis of governance in the Kingdom of Bahrain and one of the most important pillars of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially that the Constitution and laws of the Kingdom guarantee fair trial, in accordance to the international standards. For his part, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Arab League, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, stressed the importance of cooperating with the Arab League’s mechanisms and communicating with all of its agencies and the keenness of the Kingdom of Bahrain to continue working through the Arab Human Rights Committee to enhance international cooperation in the field of human rights, under the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. He also pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain gives great importance to the various issues related to human rights, which had a great impact on the joint Arab action system, as the Kingdom of Bahrain has initiated the establishment of the Arab Court of Human Rights and signed its statutes. He also added that the Kingdom was among the first countries to ratify the Arab Charter for Human Rights. A number of the delegation members participating in the meeting listened and responded to a number of questions and queries raised by the members of the Committee. The delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain is headed by the Assistant Foreign Minister, and the membership of Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Brigadier Mona Abdul Raheem, Major Abdullah Al Mutawa, First Lieutenant Nasser Al Fadalah of the Ministry of Interior, Ms. Khulood Matar of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Fawzan Khalifa Bufarsan of the Ministry of Information Affairs, Mr. Ezzedine Khalil Al Moayad of the Supreme Council for Women, Mr. Sultan Nasser Al Suwaidi of the Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission, and Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Faris of Ombudsman.