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Importance of civil society stressed

“The voice of the civil society is important to us,” said Abdul Rahim Al Awadhi, assistant to the foreign minister for legal affairs.

“It should be active and effective to safeguard its accomplishments and we do not need a hypocritical society that does not talk about reality.

The UAE government has several accomplishments which have not been achieved from thin air, and therefore they should be highlighted,” he added.

Addressing a packed hall at the consultative meeting held with the civil society where over 20 associations and establishments of public interest were in attendance, Al Awadhi, who is also the representative of the Foreign Ministry at the permanent committee for following up the comprehensive and periodic report on human rights in the country, said people from as many as 33 nationalities can enter the UAE without a visa. They can visit all the facilities in the country and take pictures.

The meeting held at Raffles Hotel, Dubai, on Thursday, under the aegis of the Foreign Ministry in collaboration with the UAE Human Rights Association, identified the efforts of the country in chalking out the second report on the comprehensive and periodic review of human rights.

“The UAE constitution stresses on respect for every individual and ensures equality and social justice,” said Al Awadhi, noting that it also underlines the basic freedom to all individuals and bans torture and arbitrary imprisonment. The constitution also respects civil freedom including freedom of expression, freedom of press and religious freedom.

The UAE has proven its commitment to these principles by introducing several modern legislations and laws, he noted.

“Since its inception, the UAE had seen rapid socio-economic growth, which is rarely achieved in developed societies, even the advanced ones,” he said, adding that its development experience has set an example to the world by a comprehensive development.

“The UAE has enhanced its efforts and concern over human rights issues by holding top positions in many reports and related international indicators. The country topped the list among Arab countries and came 30 in the world out of the total of 187 countries,” he said quoting figures of the International Human Development report 2011 according to the UN Development Programme UNDP.

The UAE holds the 17^th place worldwide according to the first survey conducted by the UN for happiness and satisfaction in April 2012.

He added that the UAE had advanced in the gender equality index issued by the World Economic Forum 2011, to occupy the top position among Arab countries’ list.

“Woman has got her rights, and the society requires time to adapt and keep in line with the changes. If we rewind to 30 years ago, we would find few women who had trade licenses or had her photograph in her passport,” he said.

Now there are women who hold the highest posts and acclaim prestigious positions in the UAE society, he said and explained that evolution is natural and takes place in every society.

Mubarak Al Hammadi, second secretary at the Human Rights Department in the foreign Ministry provided a comprehensive review and stressed on the interactive dialogue between each country.

Mohammed Hussein Al Hammadi, Deputy Chairman of the board of directors of UAE Human Rights Association said the civil society plays an essential role in the development process. “The process requires consultations at the national level with all bodies concerned, and this will provide the civil society with a very useful opportunity to participate effectively in the process,” he added.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE