The diplomatic advisor to the UAE President and the chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, Dr Anwar Gargash, delivered the UAE’s speech at the 49th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.
During the virtual session, Dr Gargash showcased the UAE’s achievements in protecting human rights, including plans to enhance its efforts under its membership in the council, according to the state-run news agency Wam.
Dr Gargash has affirmed that the UAE remains steadfast in seeking to achieve peace, prosperity, and human rights protection in the Middle East to enhance diplomatic relations with other countries in the region.
He appreciated the UN General Assembly’s decision to elect the UAE as a member of the Human Rights Council for the third time in its history, stating that it showcases confidence in the nation.
Dr Gargash affirmed that the UAE will continue its efforts to build bridges of dialogue and cooperation with partners and support the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In his speech to the UNHRC, Dr Gargash also highlighted that the UAE has established of the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) and is conducting a large-scale assessment of its laws in alignment with its aspirations in the field of human rights protection.
The UAE is also working on drafting its National Human Rights Action Plan later this year.
UAE’s progress on women empowerment, regional security, and climate change
In his speech to the UN Human Rights Council, Dr Gargash also highlighted the UAE’s achievements in aiding women empowerment.
He said that there would be no progress in the field of human rights protection without first empowering women across all sectors and levels.
Dr Gargash said: “The UAE is proud of its continuous progress, which shows in all women empowerment indexes, especially as it ranked first across the Arab world in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2021 Global Gender Gap Report.
“A testament to the leading role of Emirati women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, women comprise 80 percent of the Emirates Mars Mission science team.”
He also spoke about the UAE’s cooperation with other countries to support the global drive to combat Covid-19 by facilitating the delivery of over 250 million vaccine doses and providing medical supplies to countries around the world.
Furthermore, Dr Gargash underscored the UAE’s dedicated efforts to tackle the issue of climate change, especially as it has been selected to host the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023.
Highlighting the importance of regional security in making progress in the humans rights field, Dr Gargash expressed the UAE’s appreciation of the UN’s condemnation of the Houthi militia’s terrorist attacks on the UAE, and the support voiced by over 120 countries.
He urged the international community to take decisive and tangible measures to put an end to such violent acts and work to achieve a ceasefire and reach a political solution in Yemen.
In this context, the UAE has also signed the Abraham Accords, given its desire to reduce tensions in the region, as part of its agenda to promote tolerance and peace globally.
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