New York – Information Office – 02 November

The State of Qatar urged the international community to condemn and reject the measures taken by the siege countries against it, asserting that they were contrary to international obligations to respect and promote human rights.

This came in a statement delivered today by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani in the General Debate of the UN General Assembly on the "Report of the UN Human Rights Council".

In a series of detailed, documented and substantiated reports, the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) had monitored numerous human rights violations resulting from the imposition of arbitrary, illegal and unilateral coercive measures against the State of Qatar since June 2017, HE Sheikha Alia said.

She pointed out that these reports showed the effects of these violations on several vital areas for families, individuals and groups both in the State of Qatar and in the countries that imposed this unjust siege, adding: "The imposition of such measures is contrary to international obligations to respect and promote human rights. Such measures should be condemned and rejected by the international community."

Her Excellency stressed the importance of the mandate of the Human Rights Council, particularly in light of the mounting challenges facing the world today in terms of increasing armed conflicts, acts of terrorism, violent extremism and discrimination, and the resulting suffering, poverty and unprecedented flows of refugees around the world, which have a clear impact on human rights in all aspects, whether social, economic, civil or cultural.

She reiterated the State of Qatar's keenness to contribute actively to international efforts to promote and protect human rights, through effective participation in relevant international bodies or through the provision of the necessary resources to support and cooperate with the work of United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, referring in this regards to Qatar's hosting of the United Nations Center for Training and Documentation in the Field of Human Rights for South-West Asia and the Arab Region.

HE Sheikha Alia said that the State of Qatar, through its membership in the Human Rights Council, is keen to actively participate and cooperate with Member States in order to implement the mandate of the Council in the best way possible and to carry out its duties in accordance with the principles of impartiality, objectivity and non-selectivity. She added that Qatar continues to abide by its commitments and to actively contribute to the Council's efforts to improve standards of respect for human rights, to address cases of human rights violations and to respond promptly to them, as well as to enhance accountability for human rights violations and to end impunity.

Her Excellency added that the issue of the promotion and protection of human rights is of great interest to the wise leadership of the State of Qatar, which is working tirelessly to build a nation and a society in which human dignity and freedom are safeguarded, in accordance with the provisions and principles of the Qatari Constitution and national legislation consistent with the relevant international conventions. 

In her statement before the UN General Assembly on the Report of the Human Rights Council, HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to key international instruments in the field of human rights in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which marks the 70th anniversary of its adoption this year.

HE the Ambassador said that based on the State of Qatar's belief in the importance of the right to development, Qatar National Vision 2030 has included many goals that deal with human rights issues in the areas of human, social, economic and environmental development, which have also been translated into national development strategies.

She also stressed the State of Qatar's interest in strengthening national institutions specialized in the protection of human rights and protecting its independence, pointing to the National Human Rights Committee, which works to raise awareness in the society to understand and exercise rights and duties, implement the values of social justice and tolerance, promote equality and non-discrimination, and to stop human rights violations.

HE the Ambassador referred to the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, that was reviewed in the report of the Human Rights Council, which reflect the gross violations of human rights that continue to be perpetrated against the Palestinian people, calling for the need to ensure that the Palestinian people have their rights guaranteed by international law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

On the Syrian crisis, HE the Ambassador said that in light of the grave consequences of the Syrian crisis on human rights and the suffering of the Syrian people, noting that the Human Rights Council responded by a decision addressing the grave situations faced by civilians and the numerous and persistent violations of fundamental rights and freedoms.

She stressed the need for effective and urgent action by the international community commensurate with the seriousness of those violations, adding that the best way to put an end to these violations is to reach a political solution to the crisis through negotiations under the auspices of the UN.

At the end of her statement, HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani affirmed the commitment of the State of Qatar to the promotion and protection of human rights at the national, regional and international levels, stressing that the State of Qatar will spare no effort to fulfill its human rights obligations and continue to support the human rights mechanisms of the UN in order to promote the human rights of all mankind.