Prince Khalifa establishes high coordinating committee for human rights

Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa today issued edict 50 for this year, establishing the High Coordinating Committee for Human Rights. Minister of State for Human Rights Affairs will chair the panel and the Undersecretary for Human Rights Affairs at the Human Rights Affairs Ministry will be its Deputy Chairman. Members include Human Rights Affairs Ministry’s Assistant Undersecretary for Coordination and Follow up on Human Rights Affairs and representatives from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Education, Social Development, Health and Labour, the Supreme Council for Women, the National Security Agency, Public Prosecution, the Information Affairs Authority and the Civil Service Bureau. Members, appointed according to an edict issued by Minister of State for Human Rights Affairs following nominations by the concerned sides mentioned above, serve renewablre three-year terms, and are replaced by a representative of the same side in a case of vacancies. The committee will coordinate with government sides in all human rights issues, and will have to: 1. Develop a mechanism that can ensure that the best human rights policies are in place. 2. Prepare a National Human Rights Plan that will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. 3. Coordinate with the concerned sides to respond to reports and queries of human rights organizations inside and outside the kingdom. 4. Cooperate with the concerned sides to prepare the kingdom’s human rights reports required by the agreements and conventions ratified by Bahrain. 5. Study international human rights organisations’ requests to send representatives to the country. 6. Follow up on the implementation of the UN Human Rights Council and submit periodic reports to the cabinet. 7. Ensure harmony between the plans of the Ministry of State for Human Rights and the requirements of government sides in this regards. 8. Put forward an annual training plan in the field of human rights. 9. Submitting recommendations and visions to the cabinet regarding human rights. 10. Conduct studies on ways of harmonizing between local laws and human rights conventions ratified by the kingdom. 11. Deal with any issue referred to it by its chairman. The panel convenes once a month at least and the meeting will be valid only when the majority of members, including necessarily the Chairman or Deputy Chairman, are present. The committee’s decisions are issued by majority of the votes of attending members and the Chairman or Deputy Chairman’s vote will be needed whenever there a tie. The panel’s Rapporteur, appointed by the Chairman, will be in charge of the meetings’ agenda and minutes. The panel can form sub-committees to discuss key issues, and may invite local or foreign expert(s) to attend its meetings, but without granting them the right to vote.