The UAE on Monday said it will set up an independent national human rights committee, on the basis of the internationally-accepted Paris Principles, and that a comprehensive national human rights plan will be developed.
The announcements were made in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as part of the Universal Periodic Review process.
The report also presented, in detail, actions taken to promote human rights in the country since the adoption by the Council of the second Universal Periodic Review on the UAE in 2013, including legislation and steps taken across a wide range of topics, including human trafficking,
The report, which was presented by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Among these will be the establishment of an independent national human rights commission on the basis of the Paris Principles, the formulation of a comprehensive national human rights plan that is updated in the light of new developments and is in line with local laws and the country's international obligations and the promulgation of a federal law on domestic violence. Institutional and legislative measures and mechanisms will be
Special attention will be focused, the report said, on strengthening the role of
"The UAE underscores that it will continue its efforts to promote and protect human rights in line with its national legislation and laws and its international obligations," the report said. "The State is determined to move forward by building on achievements made in the field of human rights and to continue to make a positive and active contribution to support best global practices in that area."
The UAE is "determined to move forward with its efforts to add to the outstanding achievements that it has scored in promoting and protecting human rights and to contribute to and engage positively in international activities in this domain", the report said.
The UAE was re-elected to membership of the UN Human Rights Council in 2015.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday,
He was introducing the UAE's report for the third Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process at the session. The reforms made since the last UPR, he said, "place the UAE at the forefront of regional efforts to both protect workers' rights and combat human trafficking."
Describing the UPR as "an immensely helpful mechanism for assessing how we can continue to consolidate our progress in advancing our human rights laws and practices," he added that "we take pride in the progress we have made since our last review, to promote and protect human rights in the UAE."
He added: "The politics of division, based on ethnicity, religion, or even gender, has no place in the UAE". This approach,
Adding that the UAE is "In a region that is beset with conflict, sectarianism and extremist ideas that seek to take societies
The process of working to advance human rights in the UAE is not simply a matter of its security and stability, he suggested.
That commitment to the advancing of human rights, also meant that "the UAE can also contribute to the stability of the wider region, by sending a message of hope and tolerance and opportunity that transcends our national borders",