Qatar Affirms Commitment to Enhancing Human Rights Legislation

The State of Qatar reaffirmed its growing commitment to human rights, emphasizing its legislative, legal, administrative, and other measures to enforce and develop these rights within the framework of comprehensive social development, noting that this interest is based on national references, foremost among them being Qatar National Vision 2030, the First National Development Strategy (2011-2016), and the Second National Development Strategy (2018-2022). This came during the State of Qatar's presentation of its 22nd and 23rd periodic reports to the 112th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva. The delegation of Qatar participating in the discussion was headed by HE Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Turki bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, and included several directors and experts from various government entities in the country. His Excellency said that the report presented to the committee was a culmination of consultative dialogue and cooperation in monitoring and implementing the convention across all concerned parties in Qatar. He noted that the report was prepared by the majority of government entities in the country through a national committee and a national working group tasked with preparing the report and responding to related inquiries. He explained that Qatar has recently implemented significant legislative reforms, including amendments to the legal framework governing the rights of migrant labor, laws regarding property ownership for non-Qataris, the asylum law, domestic workers law, permanent residency law, and regulations governing the entry, exit, and residency of expatriates, as well as the establishment of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking under Cabinet decision no. 15 of 2017. This committee aims to coordinate national efforts to monitor, prevent, and combat all forms of human trafficking, including preparing the national plan to combat human trafficking and publishing an annual report on the state's efforts to combat human trafficking. He affirmed the state's continued development of necessary plans and strategies to support and enhance women's roles in all fields, exemplified by the appointment of four women to the Shura Council, reflecting leadership's commitment to supporting women's contributions in all fields, particularly in the legislative body, and encouraging further progress toward enhancing women's full political participation in accordance with Article 34 of the Qatari Constitution, which guarantees equality among all citizens in rights and duties. During the discussion, delegation members provided comprehensive responses to the committee's questions, highlighting the substantial progress made in all human rights legislation and the efforts to combat all forms of discrimination. Source: Qatar News Agency