January 15, 2023, 07:00am
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human rightsThe National Human Rights CommitteeUnited nationsWorld Cup 2022fifaMaryam Al-AttiyahClimate change
The interview was conducted by the editor-in-chief
Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee, affirmed that the State of Qatar provided a strong lesson to the whole world and a role model by organizing an unprecedented World Cup with global recognition, and described the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 as the unique edition that began with an amazing opening and concluded with creativity. Unparalleled, not only in the general form, but also in terms of the contents and messages that she was able, through diplomacy and superior ability, to deliver to the world.
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She said in an exclusive interview with Al-Sharq: The State of Qatar, with its capabilities, succeeded in getting the World Cup to safety without any problems or violations, despite the organized smear campaigns that it has been subjected to since it won the hosting of the World Cup. She stressed that the State of Qatar dealt with the conspiracies with a conscious strategy, diplomacy and skill, adding that what these campaigns reported were misleading and irresponsible allegations without any basis or evidence, and indicated that the World Cup in Qatar succeeded in changing the stereotype about the Middle East that was formed when The West for historical and ideological reasons, and the Arab man appeared in a way different from the image firmly established in the minds of the West, and most importantly, he introduced the World Cup Qatar to Islam, rituals and noble human values.
Her Excellency noted the annual strategy of the committee’s activities, which aims to protect and promote human rights at the national and international levels, and revealed that in the year 2023 the committee will focus on the centrality of climate change and is expected during the month of February to organize an international conference with its partners in the United Nations on human rights and climate change.
She added: The new logo of the committee will be present in all its activities during the year 2023 to celebrate the passage of 20 years, and pointed out that the committee’s office at Hamad International Airport reflects the extent of commitment to human rights in dealing with the public.. and reaffirmed that Qatar welcomes European or UN missions, and all Who wants to experience the real reality in the State of Qatar. She explained that the committee organizes frequent field visits to inspect the conditions of workers at work and housing sites..and to the details of the dialogue:
The National Human Rights Committee celebrates the 20th anniversary of its founding.. How do you evaluate its role during those years?
Over the past years, the Committee has focused, during its periodic recommendations, on the need to harmonize local legislation with international standards with regard to human rights. It has also been able to lay an educational foundation for spreading awareness of the culture of human rights among all segments of society. We point out that periodic statistics reflect the huge amount of field visits that The Committee carried out this in the field of spreading awareness and consolidating the human rights culture.
future plan
What is the committee’s future plan during 2023?
Each year, the committee sets its annual strategy for activities aimed at protecting and promoting human rights at the national and international levels. This year, the committee focuses on the centrality of climate change. It is expected that during the month of February, the committee will organize an international conference with its partners in the United Nations on human rights and climate change. In addition to planning the 2023 strategy to be in harmony with the committee’s celebrations of the 20th anniversary of its founding over the course of 2023. The committee celebrates the 20th anniversary of its founding, which was supposed to be organized in conjunction with the Qatari Human Rights Day on the eleventh of last November. However, due to the World Cup events, the committee decided to postpone it. In turn, the committee will continue its efforts related to the promotion and protection of human rights, monitoring legislation and advocacy. The committee will continue to raise awareness and define the rights and duties that are supposed to be taken into account.
The new logo reflects the vision of the committee
Is there a new logo for the committee on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its founding?
Yes, a new logo has been adopted that reflects the vision and mission of the Committee in the process of promoting, empowering and protecting human rights. This logo will be present in all activities of the Committee during the year 2023, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Committee and the achievements made in the field of human rights.
Committee posts in FIFA Qatar
What is the nature of the National Committee’s participation in the Doha FIFA-Qatar 2022 activities?
The committee’s participation began before the start of the official events, through training courses and exhibitions, including the human rights and football exhibition, which was organized inside and outside the country and was held throughout the championship period in Sheraton Gardens. The committee also worked to prepare the community to receive the great sporting event, through the convening of the first national forum For human rights, which was organized by the Committee last September over two days, on: The role of law enforcement institutions in protecting human rights during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with the aim of highlighting the efforts made by each party within the various state institutions’ preparations for the World Cup and how Integration of sport within the culture of human rights.
A team specialized in raising awareness
The committee also formed a specialized working group to carry out awareness-raising and monitoring of everything related to human rights in application of the guidelines that govern dealing with sporting events in accordance with an approach that respects human rights, coordination between the relevant authorities at the local and international levels, follow-up on the process of applying them on the ground, and interest in empowering groups. The priority is the enjoyment of the right to sport, especially for persons with disabilities, and facilitating their access to sports services and facilities.
In the same context, the Committee opened a human rights office at Hamad International Airport, to serve as a branch of the National Human Rights Committee, through which the extent of commitment to human rights in dealing with the public of Hamad International Airport is reflected, as a platform to spread the culture of human rights among arrivals and departures, including airport workers. Hamad International Airport, and the committee’s official website was launched, which will focus on World Cup fans and provide services in everything related to human rights.
Commission hotline
In turn, the committee launched a 24-hour “hotline” to receive inquiries and petitions related to human rights, in order to serve the World Cup fans and facilitate their stay, as well as holding a number of awareness activities that include “videos” that are broadcast in crowd gathering places, brochures and other means of awareness. legal.
A busy growing up programme
What is the celebration program that the committee intends to implement in the celebration of the 20th anniversary of its founding?
The National Human Rights Committee has prepared an eventful program for the celebration to be organized in the coming months on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Committee. The celebration will focus on the achievements of the Committee despite the challenges it faced in many periods. The work of the committee, and there are many surprises that will be revealed before the celebration, and the festive momentum will continue throughout the year 2023 AD, and the slogan of the celebration will be present in every event organized by the committee.
Conscious strategy
The state is exposed from time to time to accusations regarding employment and human rights, and it is noted that these campaigns contain false information and repeated accusations.. In your estimation, what is the reason for this?
There is no doubt that the State of Qatar has been subjected to unprecedented criticism and attack through systematic campaigns intended to thwart the World Cup in Qatar, but the strategy of the State of Qatar was aware of all these conspiracies and did not pay attention to them. The opening of the World Cup increased its intensity, and the malicious parties did not stop their attempts and are still continuing. On the other hand, the State of Qatar completed its readiness and dazzled the world with its creativity in all the details of the World Cup, with the testimony of the fans who expressed their extreme astonishment at the unparalleled organization and arrangement provided by Qatar.
Conclusive evidence of the invalidity of criticism
Why are the criticisms related to the labor conditions in the World Cup and not reflect the verified cases?
It is well known that the State of Qatar, since announcing its winning of hosting the World Cup, has turned into a workshop for repairing and rehabilitating the infrastructure and constructing World Cup stadiums and many hotels, buildings and residential complexes, in preparation for receiving the World Cup fans. The targeting of the state through this part came for open goals, foremost of which is the refusal to hold the World Cup in Qatar. Therefore, these accusations are theoretical and general without providing any conclusive evidence, and the National Human Rights Committee was during that period and is still the monitoring and monitoring eye for any practices that are inconsistent with principles of human rights.
global reflections
What are the global implications of legislative reforms?
شــهد عــام 2021 م صــدور العديــد مــن التشــريعات التـي تشـكل أهميـة خاصـة في ترقيـة وتعزيـز حقـوق الإنســان بدولــة قطــر، ومــن أهمهــا قانــون نظــام انتخــاب مجلــس الشــورى وذلــك تفعيــلًا للدســتور القطــري بما يؤكــد حــرص الدولــة علــى مواصلــة الجهود لكفالـة حقـوق الإنسان وتعزيزهـا مـن خـلال إيجــاد البيئــة التشــريعية اللازمة، وهناك A number of important laws, including the Qatari Labor Law, which regulated the work of recruitment offices, and during the implementation phase of the contract, the features of development in more than one field were reviewed, as the development of protection in the field of health, social protection, wage protection, and human rights protection was discussed. This is done by explaining and analyzing the provisions of the Qatari Labor Law, and the successive ministerial decisions issued for its implementation, as well as related legislation, such as Law No. 12 of 2015 regulating the entry and exit of expatriates.
Committee petitions
How many applications did the committee receive during the year 2022 AD?
The number of petitions received by the National Human Rights Committee in 2021 reached 2,427 males and females, including 694 legal advice, 42 requests for financial assistance, 24 requests for legal aid, 433 requests related to the rights of the most vulnerable groups, 1073 related to economic, social and cultural rights, 139 There were 22 requests related to civil and political rights, related to economic, social, civil and political rights together. As for labor petitions, they amounted to 768 petitions, most of which relate to delayed wages, end-of-service gratuities and travel tickets.
Committee work mechanisms
What is the mechanism of the committee’s work with similar committees in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior?
Coordination is considered one of the most important mechanisms that govern and organize joint work, and this is what happens with departments that work in the field of human rights, and all of them play a major role in promoting and protecting human rights and public freedoms and consolidating the principles and culture of human rights in the country.
Qatari human rights cadres
How does the committee attract Qatari cadres to work in the human rights field?
Now, Qatari universities provide a large number of graduates with different specializations, including law graduates, and through memorandums of understanding that the Committee has traditionally concluded with the relevant authorities, including educational ones, the Committee provides periodic lectures in schools and universities to introduce the field of human rights and the role played by the Committee. And the desire of students to enter this humanitarian field.
Thus, the process of creating Qatari cadres starts from the secondary and university levels, in addition to opening the field of practical training for students in the committee and getting acquainted with the mechanism by which it operates, and other means and privileges to attract Qatari cadres to work in the field of human rights.
Showcasing the image of Qatar
What is the role of the committee in highlighting the image of Qatar and its care for workers and expatriates?
The committee has a great responsibility in this aspect, as it invites from time to time international human rights organizations, including the special rapporteurs of the United Nations and representatives of international parliaments, to see the facts with full transparency on the conditions of workers, work sites, and various workers’ housing complexes, in addition to arranging surprise visits for delegations and conducting all Which would carry out their role properly without being subjected to any kind of pressure or harassment, in addition to answering all inquiries related to what they monitor from the reality of the workers, and in turn these delegations reflect that to the world public opinion.
The State of Qatar also welcomes European or UN missions, and everyone who wishes to live with the real reality in the State of Qatar. All UN missions and European delegations that visited the country praised the legislative developments and legal amendments that Qatar made, which made a quantum leap in the reality of human rights.
draft laws under study
What is the role of the committee in the draft laws that are prepared and under study and are still before the competent authorities?
There is no doubt that the Committee has an influential role in this aspect, as it, through the Department of Legal Affairs, reviews the applicable local laws related to human rights issues, and whether there is a need for their amendments. Keeps abreast of the rapid developments and changes that must be kept up with in accordance with international standards and principles of human rights.
Terms of reference of the committee
Does the committee express its opinion on the new draft laws? And how?
Certainly, according to the terms of reference of the committee, as it makes the necessary proposals to the concerned authorities regarding existing legislation and draft laws, and their suitability with the provisions of international human rights conventions to which the state is a party, through periodic recommendations submitted to the esteemed government, in addition to providing advice to the authorities. concerned in the state in matters relating to human rights and freedoms.
The role of specialists
What is the role of Qatari specialists and jurists who work in the committee regarding labor issues?
The work of the committee is based on specialists and researchers in the legal fields, receiving requests and providing consultations in various fields, not only for workers, but for everyone who lives in Qatar. As for workers, the committee organizes field visits from time to time to inspect the conditions of workers at work and housing sites to ensure their suitability. With human rights standards, in addition to awareness campaigns that focus on the need to raise awareness of rights, duties and laws that must be known, the latest of which was the campaign “Together we work.. You have a right and you have a duty” that targeted workers’ health centers, in cooperation with the Qatar Red Crescent, with the aim of introducing auditors They are given the features of the labor law and the rights of workers, where they are received and their legal and human rights questions are answered, and they are introduced to the role of the committee, in addition to distributing brochures introducing the rights and duties of workers.
Studies on human rights in the World Cup
What are the most prominent issues that the National Committee is currently studying?
The committee is now working to monitor and document everything that is raised during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 in matters related to human rights for study and submission of reports in this regard to the competent authorities, each in its field. In this regard, a large conference will be held in the first quarter of next year, and it is also studying a number of issues related to human rights that will be announced when they are completed.
Complaints and petitions about human rights
What are the most important complaints received by the committee from citizens and residents related to human rights?
The petitions received by the committee are monitored periodically, provided that they are collected at the end of the year in the annual report of the committee, and according to the latest statistics that were issued last year in their entirety related to legal advice, the rights of the most vulnerable groups, and economic, social and cultural rights.
