Led by Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Jarman, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Human Rights and International Law, the UAE delegation discussed its efforts towards promoting human rights and enshrining them in law.
During the second day of the Committee meeting, Al Jarman reviewed the UAE?s achievements in the areas of empowering women and protecting the rights of children, people of determination, senior citizens, and employees. In addition, efforts to combat human trafficking and promote tolerance were addressed.
Al Jarman then pointed to the results of the fourth Federal National Council elections held in the UAE earlier this month, with more than 337,000 voters taking part in electing youth candidates, who made up more than 61 percent of representatives nationwide. He pointed out that these elections constitute an important milestone in the political empowerment programme launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2005, which aims to strengthen the role of the Federal National Council and empower UAE citizens to contribute to the nation?s development.
The Assistant Minister also discussed Decree No. 01 of 2019, issued by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, to raise the representation of women in the Federal National Council to 50 percent during its fourth session in a historic move that promotes the political empowerment of women and enhances their role in decision-making.
During two discussion sessions between the UAE delegation and members of the Arab Human Rights Commission, UAE representatives responded to questions asked by the Committee on the UAE?s efforts towards implementing articles of the Arab Charter for Human Rights at the national level. Committee members praised the UAE?s active participation in the debate, in addition to its general commitment to promoting and protecting human rights.
The two sessions were followed by a joint press conference between Al Jarman and Mohammed Al-Dhahi, Advisor and Chairman of the Arab Human Rights Commission.
The UAE was one of the first countries to ratify the Arab Charter of Human Rights in 2006, and its initial report to the Arab Human Rights Commission was reviewed in 2013.
The UAE is keen to strengthen its cooperation with regional human rights mechanisms, including the Charter Committee, and seeks to benefit from dialogue with the Committee to exchange best practices

in the field of human rights. WAM