Doha seminar warns on rights double standards

ham

The one-day seminar on the Protection of Human Dignity was organised by the Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) under the patronage of HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad, chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

A group of experts, rights activists and NGO leaders discussed challenges and ways to protect human dignity, fighting poverty and closing the gap between theory and practice.

They warned against the double standards being applied in protecting human rights and dignity around the world.

The delegates urged governments to include the issue of human dignity in school curriculums to inculcate these values in children and stressed on the basic right to education. They also called for measures to protect civilians in the Arab occupied territories.

Making an appeal for democratic practices, they urged regimes to expand political participation and to avoid tyranny and totalitarianism. The participants also stressed the rights of refugees and displaced people.

NHRC chairman Dr Ali bin Sumikh al-Marri said the international community needed to focus on “collective rights” and especially the rights of the people to self-determination and sovereignty over their natural resources.

He criticised the lack of accountability of individuals and slammed double standards in tackling human rights-related problems in the world.

The chairman called for a greater role for civil society organisations, especially in drawing local and regional policies.

Former UN high commissioner for human rights and the first woman president of Ireland Mary Robinson told the delegates that it was time to take concrete action instead of rhetoric, in improving the lot of the people by ensuring their rights.

She warned against the phenomenon of early marriage of girls in some parts of the world, saying that it was a clear violation of their human rights.

Selim al-Hoss, former prime minister of Lebanon, and Yemeni Human Rights Minister Dr Huda Alban also spoke.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *