Under the patronage of H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Shaafar, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, attended the Human Rights Forum. Organised by the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Interior, MoI, this year’s forum holds the theme ‘Efforts and Protection’.

 Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Jarman, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Human Rights and International Law, delivered a speech at the event in which he said that the MoI has helped to promote and protect human rights on a national level, and noted the country?s participation in regional and international events, to highlight its human rights record and fulfil its regional and international obligations.

The third report of the UAE will include a robust and coherent system of national policies and strategies, which aim to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, he added.

Al Jarman pointed out that the UAE is in first place in the Arab region, and the 21st internationally, in the happiness index of the 2017 World Happiness Report, as well as in first place in the Middle East and 33rd internationally in the WJP Rule of Law Index 2016. The UAE has issued a series of federal laws over the last four years to promote human rights, most notably the Anti-Discriminatory Law, the Wadeema Act on children’s rights, and the Domestic Labour Law,” he continued.

He went on to explain the UAE’s efforts to combat human trafficking, through the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which adopted a five-point strategy that involves prevention, prosecution and punishment, protecting victims and promoting international cooperation. It also signed several Memoranda of Understanding in the area of combatting human trafficking with many countries, and coordinated with Interpol and relevant international organisations, Al Jarman added.

The forum was also attended by Lt. General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chief of Police and General Security in Dubai, Major General Ahmed Nasser Raissi, Inspector-General of the Ministry of Interior, several Federal National Council, FNC, members and general police commanders, as well as officers from the Ministry, and representatives of local and federal authorities and civil society organisations concerned with human rights.