How Arab Civil Society Organizations Do Their Best to Support Human Rights – Details
The continuous efforts of Arab civil society organizations to consolidate and support the field of human rights in the region, especially since the most prominent challenges that dominate the world are improving the human rights file in general and the absence of freedoms in particular.
Some Arab civil society organizations are seeking technical support to promote a culture of human rights in other countries around the world.
Interactive session
The dialog session was held to inaugurate the Shadow Human Rights Report, which was worked on by 13 international non-governmental organizations, and which speaks about human rights issues in the United Arab Emirates. The report will also be launched at a special dialog session where lawyers and international organizations will discuss it, through a number of experts and specialists from thirteen international human rights groups in Geneva. The session was held remotely via Zoom, which was attended by international experts in law and human rights, and a number of social networking sites where officials from the participating organizations will participate in the preparation of the report.
Praise for UAE role
On their part, the participants praised the UAE’s role in the field of human rights, with Ayman Nasri, the head of the Arab-European Forum for Dialogue and Human Rights and a UN advisory member, stating during the seminar that the UAE’s human rights record has received widespread praise from the international community in light of its remarkable achievements in this area.
This was also confirmed by Kousi Atsu, an international expert in human rights, who stated that the UAE has achieved numerous accomplishments in the sustainable development sector and has enhanced international efforts in the field of human rights. She added that the UAE is implementing many prominent development projects in several countries through its various institutions, such as the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. Moreover, the UAE has provided urgent humanitarian aid and an airlift bridge to support those affected by the recent devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, and it continues to provide support until now, having allocated significant amounts of funds for this purpose.
Dr. Manal Massalme, the head of the European Association for the Defense of Minorities and an expert in the field of human rights, spoke about the UAE’s efforts in the areas of economy, environment, and women’s empowerment, confirming that the UAE has successfully integrated women into society in a distinctive manner and granted them leadership roles, whether in government work or in the economic and entrepreneurial fields. She also noted that the UAE has an innovative strategy for enhancing the role of the family, caring for it, and empowering it.
A critical role for “civil society organizations”
In the same context, Emirati writer and General Manager of “Wataneya Emirates Foundation”, Dr. Darrar Belhoul, says that Arab civil society organizations play a crucial role in representing and promoting the interests of their communities. He adds that in recent years, these organizations have increasingly participated in global conferences. However, it is important for these organizations to go beyond just attending these events and transform their role from representation and meetings to effective and strong representation that sheds light on the reality of the Arab world and its role in the global community. He notes that one of the main challenges facing Arab civil society organizations is the need to highlight the positive aspects of the Arab world. He emphasizes the necessity for these organizations to shed light on the role of Arab countries in promoting peace, stability, and development in the region, and to highlight their contributions to global issues such as climate change, human rights, and economic development.
He added that for Arab civil society organizations to be effective, they must also focus on bridging the gap between their societies and the global community, which means actively engaging in dialog and building partnerships with international organizations and governments, and promoting their views and interests on the global stage, through this participation, Arab civil society organizations can ensure that their voices and their communities are heard in global decision-making processes.
“The role of Arab civil society organizations in global summits is crucial; He added that in order for these organizations to be effective, they must transform their role from one of representation and meetings to one of active and strong representation, highlighting the reality of the Arab world and its role in the global community, by focusing on capacity building, promoting dialog and highlighting the positive aspects of the Arab world, Arab civil society organizations can play a key role in promoting peace, stability and development in the region, and in shaping the global agenda for the coming years.
