Doha: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, aimed at enhancing institutional partnerships and joint coordination on human rights protection and promotion. The agreement focuses on mutual interests and the reinforcement of justice, equality, and respect between the two entities.
According to Qatar News Agency, the MoU was signed by HE NHRC Chairperson Mariam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah and HE President of the Saudi HRC Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al Tuwaijri. This agreement seeks to develop technical work mechanisms, bolster personnel capabilities, and initiate joint programs to foster a culture of human rights and increase societal awareness. Furthermore, it aims to strengthen regional cooperation in human rights-related areas.
HE Mariam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah stated that this development is an extension of NHRC's commitment to enhancing Gulf cooperation and sharing best practices. She emphasized that technical partnerships are crucial for improving institutional performance and the quality of human rights services. The MoU promises wider coordination in implementing joint initiatives and exchanging knowledge to protect rights and freedoms and raise legal awareness.
The MoU also includes collaborative efforts to build personnel capacities through training programs, the exchange of studies, and organizing joint visits, seminars, and conferences. Additionally, there is a focus on educating about the rights of vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, children, women, and the elderly.
The agreement underscores the necessity of aligning activities with the national laws of both countries to ensure effective implementation and integration of human rights initiatives. The institutions aim to pool their resources in monitoring, awareness, and capacity building, leveraging each other's expertise to develop a robust Gulf model for managing human rights issues.
The MoU will become effective upon completion of legal procedures in both nations and is designed for sustainability, with provisions for renewal to ensure long-term impact on rights and freedoms.
In a related development, HE NHRC Chairperson Mariam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah met with Dr. Muhammad Al Shalfan, Director General of the Judicial Training Center at Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice and a member of the Saudi HRC Council. They explored cooperation in integrating human rights topics into judicial training programs and discussed partnership opportunities for developing training content on human rights and international humanitarian law.
The meeting also covered the exchange of training programs and professional visits, emphasizing the importance of judicial training in implementing international human rights standards. Both sides considered innovative solutions for challenges in training curricula and mechanisms to measure training impact on judicial performance, aiming to enhance human rights protection within the judicial system.