MoI celebrates Arab Human Rights Day

Brigadier Hamad Khamis Al Dhaheri, Deputy Head of the Punitive and Correctional Establishments Department at the Ministry of Interior, recently inaugurated the workshop organised by the Human Rights Department at the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior to mark Arab Human Rights Day, which is celebrated every year on the 16th of March.

Colonel Mohammed Al Shehhi, Deputy Director of the Human Rights Department, stressed the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) keenness to participate in the Arab Human Rights Day celebration which this year is entitled "Human Dignity for All." This falls in line with its strategic objectives, which focus on the importance and priority of achieving security and safety, to enhance the values of justice and human rights.

He added that this is consistent with the principles contained in international conventions and standards, including the Arab Charter on Human Rights. He also highlighted the ministry’s keenness to instill the values of justice, human rights, and respect of dignity; being an important and essential part of the functions and duties of police work.

The inauguration ceremony included a film titled "There’s No Impossible Dream," which highlighted the MoI’s achievements, preparations, and the readiness of its staff and the role they play in maintaining security and safety in society.

The discussions then began at a meeting chaired by Major Mohammad Khalifa Al Hamoudi, Head of the Local Coordination Section at the Human Rights Department. In the first paper titled "The Role Of The Regional Bodies In Protecting Human Rights," Mubarak Mohammed Al Hammadi, Head of the Human Rights Regional Affairs Section at the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reviewed the Arab League’s most important activities in the area of human rights, including the establishment of the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights in 1968, which initiated several projects such as the issuance of the Arab Charter on Human Rights in 2008, along with the Arab plan for education on human rights and the Arab plan for enhancing the human rights culture.

Moreover, Al Hammadi reviewed the most important activities carried out by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the area of human rights, including the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam in 1990 and the establishment of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in 2011. He also addressed the activities of the Gulf Cooperation Council, such as the establishment of the Human Rights Office in 2010 and the issuance of the Human Rights Declaration in 2014.

For his part, Maqsoud Kruse, Executive Director of the Hedaya International Center for Countering Violent Extremism, introduced in the second paper titled "The Experience of the Hedaya International Center for Countering Violent Extremism" the Hedaya Center in Abu Dhabi, which is considered an international center where professionals can meet and exchange experiences in the field of fighting violent extremism. It also works in conjunction with the Global Counter Terrorism Forum and other partners at the international level to combat violent extremism. Its objectives include formulating initiatives in the areas of research, capacity building, training, and dialogue in order to combat violent extremism in all its forms.

Mr. Kruse highlighted the most important topics addressed at the center, including education, the fight against extremism, national strategies to combat extremism, and involving local communities to combating extremism.

At the end of the ceremony, Brigadier Al Dhaheri and Colonel Al Shehhi honored the speakers and then visited the exhibition organized on the sidelines of the ceremony.

The Social Support Centers Department at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ has participated in the celebration organized by the Human Rights Department at the MoI on the occasion of the Arab Human Rights Day, and in the exhibition organized on the sidelines of the ceremony. It has also distributed a set of brochures to introduce the roles carried out by the Social Support Centers in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region in the field of community service.
Source:WAM