UAE: Human rights commission to have over 11 members

Abu Dhabi - The term of membership will be four years, which is renewable for one time

The headquarters of the National Commission for Human Rights will be based in Abu Dhabi and the commission will have more than 11 members on the board of trustees, according to authorities.

The Federal National Council (FNC) in April passed a draft law to establish the national human rights commission in the UAE to promote and protect human rights and freedoms in accordance with the provisions of the country’s constitution and laws and legislations in force.

The board members for the commission will include the chairman of the board of trustees and the number of full-time members should be exceeding half of the total number of members.

The members of the board of trustees for the commission will be chosen from advisory and academic bodies, civil society institutions and those with technical and professional expertise after looking at the quality of their personnel and taking into account the appropriate representation of women.

The term of membership will be four years, which is renewable for one time and will be calculated starting from the date of establishing the commission.

Six conditions for the committee membership have been specified. A member must be a UAE citizen, should be aged 25 and above, has civil capacity, must be of good conduct and reputation, and should not have been convicted of a felony or a crime that violates honour or trust, and must be competent, knowledgeable and have interest in the field of human rights.

The meetings and sessions of the commission will be attended by some government representatives who will be determined by the UAE President’s decision, and they will have no right to vote.

The National Commission for Human Rights shall be established as soon as the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, approves the Federal Law for establishment of the commission.

According to the draft law passed by the FNC members, the commission shall be established to work to strengthen the position of the UAE in regional and international forums in the field of human rights, and to enhance the UAE's communication with individuals and regional and international institutions concerned with human rights.

In order to achieve its goals, the commission will coordinate with competent authorities in developing a national action plan to promote and protect human rights in the country and suggest a mechanism for its implementation. It will work to spread the culture of human rights in the UAE and educate members of the society about it. It will submit proposals and recommendations and give advice to various authorities in everything that would promote and protect human rights.

The commission will also follow up on the suitability of legislation and laws to international charters, covenants and conventions on human rights to which the state is a party and follow-up thereof, and to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

The human rights commission will work on promoting equality and the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE