Speaker highlights Bahrain's exemplary commitment to human rights during pandemic

Manama, May 26 (BNA): Speaker of the Council of Representatives and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Delegation, Fawzia bint Abdulla Zainal, has affirmed that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s sound directives are the basis for the solid cooperation between the legislative and executive branches. This is within a modern democratic framework that supports human rights and public freedoms, and consolidates the foundations of the state of law and institutions, in accordance with an ambitious vision aimed at developing Bahraini human resources and improving their conditions at all levels, she said. She commended the efforts being exerted by the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to achieve sustainable development and improve the economic and social conditions of the citizens. She praised the keenness of the government, led by HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to coordinate with the Legislature, especially during the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic, noting that the joint work between the two branches have yielded advanced and effective results in combating the pandemic and mitigating its effects at all levels. She made the statements while addressing a session of the 142nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which focused on “mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic on democracy and human rights and identifying key actions that parliaments should take to restore faith in democracy”. She asserted that Bahrain adopts human rights standards as a firm approach under various circumstances, out of its strong belief that preserving human rights is an authentic principle that reflects the extent of countries’ progress, and the best means to enhance their development process. She indicated that the kingdom’s interest in human rights is evident in the measures it has taken during the pandemic, based on the royal directives, to provide the best treatment services and vaccines to the citizens and resident alike, which strengthened confidence in the government’s procedures and showcased its capability to confront the pandemic and ensure the safety of everyone, without exception. The speaker said that the world is going through the most sophisticated challenges over the past decades due to the pandemic which affected health and various other sectors, which requires parliaments and governments to join hands in order to reduce the effects of the pandemic on the democratic and humanitarian fields in order to be carry on efforts towards achieving sustainable development at the global level. She stressed that the repercussions of the coronavirus have proved that the world is in dire need for giving priority to human values over present and narrow interests, urging the international community to build an effective and real partnership in the coming period regarding scientific research, production of vaccines and their distribution to countries according to fair bases aimed at preserving humanity without discrimination. She indicated that measures that enhance human rights and ensure effective democratic practices are the best means to achieve full and sustainable recovery and build a better and fairer world that is capable of facing challenges. This can be done by including human rights at the core of response and recovery efforts, in a way that helps enhance the stability of societies and countries, she added. Concluding her statement, the speaker urged concerted parliamentary and governmental efforts to implement human rights-related policies, especially during the spread of the pandemic, noting that Bahrain has provide a distinguished example in this regard through striking a balance between the recovery efforts and democratic and human rights principles.