NHRC Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah during a meeting with Vice-President of European Parliament Eva Kaili.
Brussels: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah held meetings with a number of representatives and officials in the European Parliament and the European Union.
The meetings discussed issues related to the protection and promotion of human rights, as well as activating the partnership of the NHRC.
At the European Parliament, the NHRC Chairperson met with Vice-Presidents of the Parliament H E Eva Kaili, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the Arabian Peninsula H E Marie Arena, Vice Chair of the Sports Group H E Marc Tarabella. At the European Union headquarters, the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee met with EU Special Representative for Human Rights H E Eamon Gilmore.
During her meeting with Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament Eva Kaili, H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah stressed the need to advance work systems in national human rights institutions and raise their capabilities by developing mechanisms and methods for receiving complaints and ways to resolve them, especially in light of the digital boom in the world.
She indicated that the National Human Rights Committee benefited greatly from the digital systems during the Coronavirus pandemic, and continued to carry out its role in the process of awareness and receiving complaints electronically, noting that this experience affirmed the importance of dealing with digital systems in terms of speed of response.
Kaili is considered one of the leading MEPs addressing the digital revolution, and received the “European Award” for her work on the Digital Agenda for Europe. In her meeting with the Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, NHRC Chairperson praised the great partnership between the Committee and the European Parliament through the memorandum of understanding signed with the Subcommittee, noting that the National Human Rights Committee held several hearings and meetings at the Parliament headquarters within the framework of this partnership.
She stressed the Committee’s keenness on the State of Qatar to remain a good model in the region with regard to respecting and promoting workers’ rights in general, noting that the gradual reform process is the most successful strategy to overcome challenges.
She suggested organizing a joint training course at the NHRC headquarters for the staff and some employees of state agencies, on the work of European institutions and human rights policies in the European Union. The Chairperson also invited the Chair of European Parliament Subcommittee to visit Doha to learn about the legislative developments and their outcome for the protection and preservation of human rights.
Meanwhile, Al Attiyah met with Vice Chair of the Sports Group H E Marc Tarabella. The meeting noted the recent visit paid by a delegation headed by Tarabella to Doha in September, during which he praised Qatar’s peace efforts and its support for democracy and protection of the Afghan citizens; in addition to the great strides made by the State in the field of workers’ rights, in terms of security, safety and protection of their rights.
The Chairperson suggested holding an exhibition under the title “Human Rights and Sports” at the headquarters of the European Parliament in the coming months, similar to the exhibition ‘Human Rights in Islamic Culture’ organized by the NHRC at the Parliament headquarters in the past years.
