The regional dialogue forum on “human rights: promoting equality and combating discrimination in the context of migration” concluded in Doha yesterday.
The event was organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in collaboration with the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (ANNHRI) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The two-day forum underscored the importance of constantly working to promote the awareness levels of human rights and the notions related to enhancing equality and repudiating all forms of racial discrimination. They advocated for leveraging education and culture to communicate with youth pertaining to the elimination of racial discrimination and promoting the concepts of tolerance and co-existence.
The recommendations that were read out by ANNHRI Secretary-General Sultan bin Hassan al-Jamali emphasised the imperative of constantly monitoring the reality of human rights concerning expatriate workers, identifying the challenges and presenting the suggestions of addressing them. Also, the recommendations urged civil society organisations and media outlets to foster tolerance, co-existence and promote awareness of the danger of racial discrimination.
Besides, the participants called for unifying the efforts of combating racism in sports, through crafting policies, plans, and stepping up awareness campaigns, and other initiatives in this regard, underlining the importance of capacity-building programs and providing opportunities to enhance skills, mechanisms, and methodologies through training and educational programmes. They also called for strengthening and promoting the principles and values of Islamic Shariah, which advocate for equality and reject discrimination.
The second day of the forum featured the presentation of an array of working papers, including a paper presented by NHRC that shed the light on the Qatari experience on ways to address the issue of racial discrimination. The working paper discussed the NHRC’s role as an independent authority which is tasked with promoting and protecting human rights in the State of Qatar, in addition to exploring ways to address the issue of racial discrimination.
Additionally, the working paper highlighted the role of NHRC as an independent body in Qatar, in promoting and protecting human rights. It noted that the committee’s jurisdiction and competencies are defined in accordance with the Paris Principles, which regulate the work of national human rights institutions since 1993.
The paper also addressed the NHRC-backed efforts in promoting a culture of equality, non-discrimination, and combating racism, in addition to protecting the human rights of expatriates. It highlighted the annual reports issued by NHRC through which it monitors the State’s performance in upholding human rights in all their aspects, including economic, social, and cultural rights, such as the right to work and related rights for migrant workers in the workplace. (QNA)
