Manama, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Affairs Minister, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, has lauded the Kingdom of Bahrain’s pioneering achievements as a role model for respecting human rights, freedoms and human dignity within the state of law and institutions, established by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
Dr. Al Zayani extended utmost congratulations to HM the King and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister on the Human Rights Day and the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), celebrated on December 10 under the theme of “Equality, Freedom, and Justice for All.”
On the global occasion, the minister expressed the Kingdom’s pride in its deep-rooted human and civilisational values, modern constitutional fundamentals, and comprehensive and sustainable development achievements, within a legislative, judicial and executive system that has strengthened respect for human rights and dignity on the basis of justice and equality without discrimination based on gender, origin, language, religion or belief, in line with with international human rights conventions to which Bahrain is a party.
Dr. Al Zayani affirmed the Kingdom will continue its achievements within the framework of the comprehensive development process spearheaded by HM King Hamad since the popular consensus on the National Action Charter and the approval of the constitutional amendments, allowing the citizens to exercise their political rights through free and fair parliamentary and municipal elections for six consecutive terms.
He added that the bicameral legislative authority, comprising the Representatives and Shura councils, is undertaking its role in enacting laws, monitoring, and protecting public rights and freedoms, highlighting the role of the kingdom’s independent judiciary, and the support of the National Institution for Human Rights, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission, the Special Investigation Unit at the Public Prosecution, and civil society institutions.
The Foreign Affairs Minister indicated that Bahrain has taken pioneering legislative and executive measures to protect the rights of women, children and the family with the support of the Supreme Council for Women, as well as deliver excellent health, education, housing, work, employment and social security services.
He highlighted the kingdom’s strides in protecting labour rights, enabling it to retain Tier-1 status in the US Department of State’s 2023 Trafficking in Persons (TiP) Report for the sixth straight year.
He also shed light on Bahrain’s efforts to achieve criminal justice by implementing the Alternative Sentencing and Procedures Law, aiming to replace custodial penalties with alternative ones, establishing a modern integrated Open Prison Complex, achieving restorative justice for children and protecting them from ill-treatment, among others.
Dr. Al Zayani commended the ongoing legislature-executive constructive cooperation in implementing the Government Plan for the sixth legislative term, themed “From Recovery to Sustainable Growth,” and the National Human Rights Plan (2022-2026), as well as in following up on the implementation of the programmes and priorities of the Economic Recovery Plan to create jobs for the citizens, modernising commercial and financial legislation and procedures, strengthening openness and economic diversification, in addition to the implementation of housing, development, health, educational, tourism, industrial and technical strategies and projects.
The minister appreciated the HM the King’s diplomatic approach, which has consolidated human solidarity and fraternity regionally and internationally, citing the inauguration of the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration to establish tolerance and religious freedoms, and the holding of the “Bahrain Forum for Dialogue: East and West for Human Coexistence”, with the participation of His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and His Holiness Pope Francis of the Vatican.
Dr. Al Zayani also cited the initiatives of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, the launch of global awards for service to humanity, the empowerment of women and youth, and the support of sustainable development and peaceful coexistence, highlighting the continuous efforts of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, led by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, to provide development and relief assistance to the afflicted peoples.
The Foreign Affairs Minister stressed that HM King Hamad’s ‘positive’ participation in the World Climate Action Summit, held within the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai, has brought to light the Kingdom’s efforts to protect the environment through implementing the National Action Plan -Blueprint Bahrain- to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, launching a national energy strategy, and backing the “COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace”.
He also praised the royal support for international efforts aimed at establishing just and comprehensive peace, stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and rebuilding it, in preparation for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the two-state solution, as a strategic option to fulfill the rights of all peoples of the region to security, peaceful coexistence, development and prosperity.
The Foreign Affairs Minister emphasised that the Kingdom of Bahrain, while celebrating the Human Rights Day and the 75th UDHR Anniversary, renews its keenness to consolidate its strategic partnership with the United Nations and its specialised agencies, in implementation of the Strategic and Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework document signed with it.
Source: Bahrain News Agency