Foreign Policy

FIRST: Files in regards to Human Rights matters within the UN framework

UN Council of Human Rights :

 The Office of human rights participates on regular basis in the UN Council of Human Rights sessions since it was established in 2006. .

Universal Periodic Review Mechanism:

• The Office participates on regular basis in the sessions of the working group concerned with the Procedures of Universal Periodic Review.
• The Office had the honor to assume the vice-chairmanship of the National Committee to prepare and discuss the Report of the State on the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism before the working group of the Board of Human rights in Geneva in February 2010.

Second: prepare reports for monitoring committees and discuss them:

Third: Human Rights issues within the Regional and Islamic framework:

Arab League:

The Office participates on regular basis in the meetings of the Arab permanent Committee on Human Rights in the Arab League Secretariat General.

Organization of Islamic Cooperation:

The Office participates in the meetings of the independent permanent Commission for Human Rights reporting to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

GCC Secretariat General:

The Office participates in the periodic meetings of Governmental Authorities concerned with human rights in the GCC states.

Fourth: reports issued by countries about the status of human rights in the State of Qatar: 

The Office responds to Human rights reports issued by some countries about the status of human rights in the State of Qatar. In this regard, it is worth noting the annual reports issued by the US Department of State are 3 reports: 

Fifth: issues related to cooperation with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Center for Human Rights Training and Documentation of South-West Asia and Arab Region in Doha.

The UN Center for Human Rights Training and Documentation of South-West Asia and Arab Region was established in accordance with the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES//60/153 unanimously approved in December 2005. The initiative to establish the Center has been fully supported and encouraged, regionally and internationally.

Through training, documentation and expertise sharing; the Center aims at:

Cooperating with governments in terms of improving principles and policy of human rights which may contain the formulation of national plans for human rights, integration of international standards of human rights within the local regulations and the encouragement of the ratification of the international conventions on human rights.

Enhancing and strengthening the capabilities of the government institutions and the authorities concerned with Justice to promote and protect human rights.

The Center covers South-West Asia and Arab Region. It is supervised and run by the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN center for human rights in Geneva.

According to the General Assembly Resolution on the establishment of the Center, the State of Qatar hosts the Center and provides HQ for the Center and other HQ-relevant facilitations. The Government of the State of Qatar and the office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Center for Human Rights signed the HQ agreement to host the center in December 2008.

The Center was officially opened in 27 May 2009 in the presence of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. On the day it was opened, the Center organized many workshops and programs about the future visions of the Center, contracting procedures and the Universal Periodic Review procedures.

Sixth: other internal and local engagements:

• Director of the Office is the MOFA representative in the National Committee for Human Rights.
• The Office represented the MOFA in the National Committee for the preparation of the Report of the State of Qatar about the implementation of the Convention on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
• The Office represented the MOFA in the National Committee concerned with the preparation of the draft of trafficking in persons.
• The Office represented the MOFA in the National Committee concerned with the preparation of the draft of servants.
• The Office participates in the local conferences, workshops and seminars relevant to enhance and protect human rights to which the Office is invited.