Media Center

New York / Information Office / October 30

The State of Qatar underlined that the protection and promotion of human rights is a strategic choice, based on its deep belief in the importance of building the society on sound foundations that safeguard human dignity and protect its fundamental freedoms, noting that this is reflected in the provisions and principles of the Constitution and national legislation, which are consistent with international human rights instruments, as well as the establishment of institutions for the promotion of human rights, including the National Human Rights Committee and the Doha Center for Media Freedom.

This came in the statement of the State of Qatar before the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on the item relating to the promotion and protection of human rights and protect, delivered by Third Secretary at Qatar's Permanent Delegation to the United Nations Al Anoud Qassem Al Tamimi.

She underlined that the issue of human rights is the cornerstone of Qatar's policy in the fields of education, health, environment, the rights of children, women, the elderly, persons with disabilities and expatriate labor. This is confirmed by the fact that Qatar is ranked first in the Arab world and 33rd in the world on the Human Development Index of the United Nations Development Program.

In line with the State's policy on the protection of human rights, the State of Qatar has completed all national legislation to protect the rights of workers based on the international conventions and standards adopted by the International Labor Organization, she said, noting that the International Trade Union Confederation welcomed the measures taken by the State of Qatar, and that what has been achieved is a decisive achievement for the benefit of the workers and the employers.

The State of Qatar continues its contribution to the promotion of human rights at the international level through its membership of the Human Rights Council for three periods, and would continue to play this role after its election to the Council for a fourth term and to cooperate with Council members in this regard, she added.

She noted that the State of Qatar hosts the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region, referring to the Secretary-General's report in which he underlined that the Center had made remarkable progress in promoting human rights in the region and responding to continuing and emerging needs, capacity and technical assistance, particularly in countries with conflicts or post-conflict situations.

While the State of Qatar is making great efforts to promote human rights at the national, regional and international levels, it is currently facing a great challenge the unilateral and illegal measures taken against it, which constitute a violation of human rights, she said, noting that the National Human Rights Committee has documented thousands of complaints of Qatari and non-Qatari citizens affected by the measures, in the areas of education, health, family separation, freedom of movement and residence, the right to property and the right of expression.

In June 2017, the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed his concerns about the effects of those measures and explained that the measures taken were very broad in scope and implementation and had the potential to seriously jeopardize the lives of thousands of women, children and men simply because they belonged to one of the nationalities concerned with the crisis. The Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also referred to human rights violations caused by such measures in the area of freedom of opinion and expression, separation of families, obstruction of health care and education.

In the light of the effects of such illegal measures on human rights, Al Anoud Al Tamim underlined that the international community must ensure compliance with international law and not allow the imposition of policies on States to achieve special objectives without regard to international human rights standards.

Concluding, Al Anoud Al Tamim underlined that the State of Qatar will spare no effort to fulfill its human rights obligations and will continue to support the United Nations human rights mechanisms, thereby contributing to the lofty goals of the United Nations.