Experts: UAE is a leading and influential partner in shaping human rights decisions globally
Experts in the field of human rights have confirmed that the United Arab Emirates is a pioneer in the field of human rights, and has become a prominent partner in promoting human rights worldwide and making international human rights decisions, especially after winning membership in the Human Rights Council three times.
This came during a high-level webinar held yesterday via visual communication technology from Geneva, on the occasion of the launch of the shadow report on human rights in the UAE, in preparation for the official report of the UAE, which will be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council in May.
The experts stated that the UAE is a prominent global model for gender equality, an exemplary model for interfaith dialogue and coexistence, and its achievements in the field of human rights began since its establishment more than 50 years ago.
They also highlighted the prominent role of the UAE in the field of global humanitarian work, especially with its urgent response to the repercussions of the earthquake that recently hit Turkey and Syria, in addition to its humanitarian efforts in many other countries such as Yemen.
In the webinar, they talked about the UAE’s tremendous achievements in supporting basic rights such as individual freedoms, ensuring equality and equal opportunities between genders, children’s rights, rights for the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as labor rights, combating human trafficking, combating terrorism, money laundering, and others.
On his part, Ayman Nasri, President of the Arab-European Forum for Dialogue and Human Rights and UN consultant, confirmed that the UAE’s file on human rights has received wide praise from the international community due to its remarkable achievements in this field. He also stated that the UAE, with its three memberships in the Human Rights Council, has become a key partner in making international human rights decisions, and plays a prominent role in providing technical support to enhance the culture of human rights, and works diligently with the international community on this issue.
Dr. Eric Goslan, a participating director at the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue, spoke about the leadership and leadership axis in the UAE related to human rights, affirming that the wise leadership in the country made a courageous decision to sign the Abraham Peace Agreement with Israel and moved forward towards cementing bilateral relations with Israel in all areas supportive of sustainable development and prosperity.
He added that the UAE is also a global beacon of tolerance and coexistence, and hosted the historic fraternal meeting between His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed El-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and recently launched the Ibrahim Family House, which includes a mosque, a church, and a synagogue, and welcomes all representatives of religions and serves as a home for coexistence among all.
He stressed that the UAE has proven that tolerance and peace are linked, and is now a pioneer in tolerance and peace, and has provided a unique model to the world on the importance of working for both together, as there is no tolerance without peace and no peace without tolerance.
Dr. Manal Masmali, President of the European Association for Minority Defense and an expert in human rights, spoke about the UAE’s efforts in the fields of economy, environment, and women’s empowerment, affirming that the UAE has succeeded in integrating women into society in a distinguished manner and giving them leadership roles, whether in government work or in the economic field and entrepreneurship. She also noted that the UAE has an innovative strategy to promote the role of the family and care for it and empower it.
She explained that on the environmental level, the UAE has a rich record in combating climate change and relying on clean and renewable energy sources. It has also launched a strategic initiative to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. On the cultural level, the country has launched prominent projects such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, a prominent cultural landmark in the world, and is working to promote sustainability in all sectors.
Dr. Abduljabbar Al-Tayeb, the president of the Bahraini Lawyers Association with advisory status to the United Nations, said that human rights are now linked to many fields, including climate and digitization, which were previously thought to be distant from human rights.
According to global competitiveness indicators, the UAE has achieved advanced global positions in many sectors, including fourth place in the world government performance index, sixth place in the local market competition, seventh place in the security axis, and ninth place in the future government direction axis.
Kosi Otsu, an international human rights expert, said that the UAE has achieved many accomplishments in sustainable development and has strengthened international efforts in the field of human rights.
The UAE is implementing several prominent development projects in several countries through its various institutions, such as the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. It also provided urgent humanitarian response and airlift support for those affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and continues to support them until now, dedicating large sums of money to this matter.
The President of the Arab Union for Human Rights, Issa Al-Arabi, affirmed that since its founding, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has had a prominent record in the field of human rights. When talking about leadership in the field of human rights, it must be recognized that we are talking about the UAE.
He pointed out that the report is the result of efforts that lasted for 6 months, and establishes a model of our commitment to submitting reports in the field of human rights and our interaction with international mechanisms, explaining that human rights are no longer a luxury but a fundamental pillar in all countries.
It should be noted that a shadow report is a report prepared by non-governmental organizations in response to the official report submitted by each member state to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, which is presented approximately once every 4 years.
Before presenting the official report, in which each country talks about the human rights situation in its territory, official bodies interested in the issue submit their report on the development of this situation, known as the shadow report, which is the parallel report to the official report of the concerned countries.
More than 13 Arab, European and international human rights organizations, and 17 experts from around the world participated in preparing this report, which is closer to an independent reading of the official document that the UAE will soon present.
