The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) participated in the high-level event on Gaza, held as part of the 23rd regular session of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that took place at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, from June 30 to July 4.
During the event, the NHRC urged, through the working paper presented by Head of the Legal Affairs Department at NHRC Nasser Marzouq Sultan Al Marri, the OIC to encourage more Arab and Islamic countries to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, enabling them to press charges against the Israeli entity before the court, for its international crimes in Gaza.
The NHRC also stressed the need for OIC countries to employ diplomatic channels with the European Union, to urge its members not to supply weapons to the Israeli entity in order to reduce the human and material losses in Gaza. This also includes boycotting Israeli goods and supporting companies.
Al Marri called upon the National Human Rights Institutions of Arab and Islamic countries to leverage the qualitative shifts in Western public opinion towards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, by strengthening relations with parliaments and non-governmental organizations in these countries with the aim of exerting pressure for an immediate cessation of the criminal Israeli war.
The Head of the Legal Affairs Department at NHRC also called on governments to recognize the State of Palestine as a full United Nations member, as opposed to just being a UN observer, following in the footsteps of Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Armenia in recognizing the State of Palestine.
On another note, the NHRC presented a working paper on the subject of "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities," during the 23rd regular session of the Permanent Independent Human Rights Commission of the OIC.
The Committee called for finding safe and reliable methods to create AI systems, in such a way that makes use of safeguards to prevent adverse impacts on human rights, which could be achieved by integrating human rights and ethics into AI systems and beefing up controls on AI.
The NHRC also urged to put in place the necessary legislation to regulate and manage AI applications, advocating for multi-party and multi-dimensional cooperation involving states, companies, civil society, and national human rights institutions in an effort to create a world where digital technology serves peace, prosperity, dignity, and the best interests of humanity.
The NHRC working paper called on the international community to adopt a binding international agreement that would regulate AI, suggesting as well the drafting of a regional Arab or Islamic convention in a similar effort.
It also stressed the importance of codifying ethical guidelines governing the use of AI and maintaining respect for human rights, national security, societal well-being, and individuals' privacy.
