Bahrain's human rights achievements reflect HM King's humanitarian vision, reforms: Assistant Foreign Minister

Manama, Dec. 19 (BNA): Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdulla bin Faisal bin Jabr Al-Doseri, has affirmed Bahrain’s unwavering commitment to its voluntary international pledges before the United Nations, the Human Rights Council and affiliate organisations. He highlighted the kingdom’s keenness to prepare national reports with a high level of professionalism, in accordance with international standards, and after wide consultations with stakeholders and partners. He was speaking during the “Diplomatic Dialogue” radio show, aired weekly on Bahrain Radio 102.3 FM, and documents the march and achievements of the Bahraini diplomacy which celebrated its Golden Jubilee last year. On the universal periodic reviews, the Assistant Foreign Minister said that the kingdom had presented three reports in 2008, 2012 and 2017, noting that he led the kingdom’s delegation during the presentation of the 2017 report, with the participation of the relevant ministries and a high representation of women, which earned the kingdom international praise. Regarding Bahrain’s National Human Rights Plan, the first of its kind in the region, he said that it is within the kingdom’s efforts to attain more human rights achievements, noting that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has held seven workshops, in cooperation and coordination with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, and participation of the relevant UN agencies. He added that the diversity of the participants from Bahrain had enriched the outcomes and recommendations of the workshops. Concerning his experience in the field of human rights, Al-Doseri said that he had studied police sciences in Riyadh, and then he worked in the legal, policing and human resources development fields. On his professional career, he said that he had held the position of Secretary-General of the Bahrain National Committee for Human Rights, a joint Interior-Foreign ministries’ committee, for ten years. He also attended UN meetings, and contributed to establishing the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) in which he was the Chairman of the Organisations and International Affairs Committee. He added that the NIHR, the first of its kind in the GCC region, has enhanced Bahrain’s local and international human rights status. As Assistant Foreign Minister, Al-Doseri is the Deputy Chairman of the High Human Rights Coordination Committee, chaired by the Foreign Affairs Minister. In another context, the Assistant Foreign Minister asserted that the kingdom’s winning the membership of the UN Human Rights Council from 2019 to 2021 is a great success for Bahrain, noting that it reflects the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa as a humanitarian and reformist leader who guaranteed public liberties, preserved rights, activated the political life and amended many laws in order to empower women, support children, people with disabilities, the elderly, the national and expatriate workers, as well as achieve sustainable development, making the kingdom a developed country with a distinguished human rights legacy that entitles it to play a greater international role. As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Bahrain highlighted its successful experiences in human rights, women advancement, combating trafficking in persons, achievement of sustainable development goals, and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that Bahrain has made the universal periodic review a more effective and interactive process. The radio show shed light on Al-Doseri’s professional career. He held many positions at the Ministry of Interior for 25 years, co-founded the Royal Police Academy, worked in the banking and investment sectors for 10 years, contributed to the establishment of the NIHR and is currently the Assistant Foreign Minister. Al-Doseri obtained a Bachelor of Science in Law degree from the King Fahd Security College in Riyadh, a Higher Diploma in Criminal Justice Management from the UK-based Bramshill College, a Higher Diploma in Executive Management from the Federal Executive Institute, Virginia, US, and the Master of Arts in Public Order from the University of Leicester, UK. Aired every Tuesday at 5 pm on Bahrain Radio 102.3 FM, the programme is prepared and presented by a Bahrain Radio team, including Sabeeka Al-Shihhy, Wafa Khalifa and Rashid Sanad, in cooperation with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.