Addressing the session, Qatar’s Permanent Representative at the Geneva based UN Office, Abdullah Falah Al Dosseri said that the Qatari constitution of 2004, in its third section, articles 34- 58 on the basic rights and freedom, has adopted the principle of integration and inter-relation, and guaranteed economic, social, cultural, civil, political and social rights.
The state’s keenness on the human rights is embedded in the establishment of several institutions concerned with protection of human rights in its broader comprehensive concept, which could not be split apart into governmental and non-governmental levels.
Al Dosari said that Qatar’s constitution stipulates that the foreign policy of the state should be guided by the principles boosting international peace and security, respecting the human rights, discarding violence and the use of force and encouraging settling of international disputes by peaceful means and through cooperation with the peace loving nations.
Pointing out to the open policy of Qatar, Al Dosari said, the state, has recently hosted several international conferences related to the development, democracy and human rights issues, including, the 6th International Conference of New or Restored Democracies, the Qatar Conference on Democracy, Development and Free Trade, Doha Conference for Dialogue Between Religions and the US-Islamic World Conference.
In May last year, Qatar also hosted the Second Forum on Democracy and Political Reform in the Arab World which resulted into the establishment of the Arab Institution for Democracy, based in Doha, the first of its kind to open in the Arab world, moreover, Qatar donated an amount of $ 10,000,000 in support for bolstering works of this institution.
Al Dosari said efforts of Qatar and office of the Human Rights Higher Commissioner have yielded results in training human rights activists and establishing a documentation centre for Western Asia and the Arab region.
The Centre was established in accordance with UN general assembly resolution No 153 in its 60th session, and aims at boosting and promoting human rights through cooperation with governments on developing policies fostering principles of human rights and is expected to contribute to meeting geographic needs of the region which the centre covers in training and building up of potentials. Work is in progress and continuing between Qatar and the UN office in order to open the center in the near future, he said.
Al Dosari in his address pointed out to the latest spell of Israeli armed forces attacks on the Palestinian people and said Qatar condemns and denounces those savage attacks which the Israeli forces exercise against the Palestinian people. These attacks he added, are in violation of international agreements.
