Rabat hosts 9th annual meeting of Arab national human rights institution

The National Human Rights Council hosts the 9th Annual Meeting of Arab National Human Rights Institutions, June 15-16, 2013, in Rabat. The meeting will tackle transitional justice in the Arab region and adopt the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions’ Statute and Rules of Procedures.

In addition to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the National Human Rights Council (Morocco), the national human rights institutions of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Tunisia will take part in this meeting.

Three sessions are scheduled for the meeting: (i) transitional justice through the Moroccan experience and the young experiences of Libya and Tunisia, (ii) impact of the Arab Spring on the situation of human rights and the relationship between government human rights departments and national human rights institutions (iii) and the organization and structure of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (Statue, Rules of Procedures and new structure).

On the sidelines of this meeting, the (Moroccan) National Human Rights Council will conclude cooperation agreements with the (Jordanian) National Centre for Human Rights, the (Libyan) National Council for Public Liberties and Human Rights and the (Egyptian) National Council for Human Rights.

The Arab national human rights institutions decided in their 7th annual meeting (Nouakchott, April 27-28, 2011) to create an Arab network for national human rights institutions, to promote, protect and implement human rights in the region.

The Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions draws its reference from the fundamental values and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the regional and international human rights conventions. It’s made of 15 national institutions. Six institutions are accredited, by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (ICC), as A Status national institutions, and two as B Status institutions (A status means that the institution is in full compliance with United Nations Paris Principles). The Other institutions are not accredited by the ICC.