UAE stresses keenness to deal with Human Rights Council mechanisms with honesty and transparency

GENEVA, 20th June, 2018 (WAM) -- The UAE has reiterated its keenness to deal with the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council with honesty and transparency within the framework of mutual respect, constructive dialogue and fruitful cooperation. The country also reaffirmed its belief that all people share common rights - regardless of colour, gender or race - saying a universal understanding of the concepts of human rights and a broad consensus among all states is vital in order to achieve negotiation. In a speech delivered at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE to United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva, expressed his thanks and appreciation to Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the valuable briefing of the activities carried out by his office during the past year. Al Zaabi noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN in 1948 carries noble universal values, some of which developed into moral principles that contributed to the remarkable development of human rights and the service of humanity. While some principles, Al Zaabi noted, have gradually diverged into "strange concepts" which emerge in some societies because those principles are incompatible with the social and cultural beliefs of many societies and ethnicities. At the political level, Al Zaabi said that some of the principles of the Human Rights Declaration have been used as a mean to apply pressure in foreign relations, for political purposes and as part of foreign diplomacy. Regarding the work and performance of the various mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, Al Zaabi affirmed the UAE's keenness and constant effort to apply them with honesty and transparency within the framework of mutual respect, constructive dialogue and fruitful cooperation between the two sides. He went on to express "deep regret" that many of these mechanisms had come out of the framework of their mandates, causing a consequent negative impact on the effectiveness of the Council's work and performance. On the occasion of the end of Zeid Al Hussein's mandate, Al Zaabi expressed his thanks and appreciation to the High Commissioner for his efforts in supporting the human rights system, despite the difficult tasks and diverse challenges he faced, wishing him success in the future.