By Mobin Pandit
DOHA: Expatriates enjoy the same rights and have the same duties as Qatari citizens because they are an integral part of the country’s social fabric, says the Labour Minister.
Qatar is a law-respecting country with well-entrenched institutions and open to the world and it respects international conventions, said the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social
Affairs.
H E Dr Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi said expatriates living in Qatar are equal in the eyes of the law and there is no discrimination or differentiation according to the Qatari Permanent Constitution.
The Minister reaffirmed Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s and Qatar’s commitment to strengthening its legislations, rules and regulations and initiatives to protect foreign workers.
In his address to the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, the Minister reiterated that foreign workers are an important part of the fabric of Qatari society and have rights and duties similar to all other Qatari residents.
Qatar is a state built on institutions, the rule of law, transparency and respect for international conventions, and that all residents of the country are equal in the eyes of the law without any discrimination under its Constitution.
The Minister stressed Qatar’s commitment to working with the ILO and its Governing Body, Qatar News Agency reports from
Geneva.
Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the session, the Minister met with Misako Kaji, Chairman of the Board and Vice-President, and Guy Ryder, Director-General of ILO.
A high-level delegation from the ILO led by Ambassador Misako Kaji recently visited Qatar and praised Qatar’s achievements and the tangible steps taken by the country to promote the protection of workers’ rights.
In a separate report, QNA said that the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has received ‘A’ Certification from the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC).
This is the second time it has received Status ‘A’ at the level of national human rights institutions in the world.
Since its inception, NHRC has steadily moved towards transparency and independency as one of the main conditions of receiving the status, NHRC Chairman, Dr Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, said in a press statement.
He said the status is not easily obtainable if it hasn’t been for the desire and genuine will from the state’s leadership and institutions for the promotion of anything that preserves human dignity in all walks of life, hailing the substantial cooperation of relevant institutions and their understanding of the nature of NHRC and its jurisdiction in spreading the culture of human rights.
The NHRC has become one of the regional and international pillars of the protection and enhancement of human tights thanks to the successful and ideal expertise and experiences in its history.
The ICC is holding its 29th annual general meeting in Geneva in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Al Marri said such meetings provide the ICC and national institutions from the different region with an annual platform for promoting and protecting human rights by meeting with their partners from the United Nations and civil society, said QNA.
The Peninsula
