DOHA: Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), has been conferred ‘A Status’ by world human rights institutions’ accreditation agency.
This is the second time that Geneva-based International Coordinating Committee for Human Rights Institutions (ICC) has awarded ‘A Status’ to the NHRC.
The award, for a period of five years, will be valid until the end of 2020, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday.
ICC, a non-United Nations body, is a global network of national human rights institutions (NHRIs).
The ICC’s job is to protect and promote human rights and monitor individual human rights committees of nations and coordinate their relationship with the UN human rights system.
The ICC has its own internal accreditation system based on compliance with the 1993 Paris Principles.
According to QNA, NHRC chairman Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri said in a statement yesterday that ‘A Status’ is granted to national human rights institutions that are impartial, independent and credible.
“The (Qatar) National Human Rights Committee is one of the few institutions in the Arab world and the Middle East that have been awarded such a high status,” Al Marri said. He added that obtaining such a coveted status is an achievement and doesn’t come “out of the blue”.
“The ICC looks at a number of terms, conditions and practices that need to be provided by each national human rights institution in order to be classified and approved,” said Al Marri.
Qatar has created a conducive environment in keeping with conditions for the establishment of a human rights committee.
The ICC has looked at no less than 20 standards and measures within what are known as the Paris Principles, said the NHRC chairman. The most important conditions membership, independence and immunity, in addition to infrastructure, staffing and budget.
Al Marri talked of Law Number 17 of 2010 which governs the organisation of the NHRC which refers to its tasks and mandate and terms of reference.
Besides, the role of the NHRC in encouraging the government to join various International Conventions has also played a role in earning it the ‘A Status’ for the second time in a row, Al
Marri said.
And how the recommendations of the conventions have been practically applied and the related periodical review mechanisms, have also played a part in helping the NHRC get the coveted ‘A Status’ once again, the chairman said.
The Peninsula
