NHRC officials participating in a webinar on the rights of the elderly.
Doha: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) organised yesterday a webinar on the rights of the elderly in times of crisis.
The webinar presented a set of working papers related to the rights of the elderly in times of health crises. Head of the Investigation and Legal Consultation Department at NHRC Nasser Al Marri presented a working paper on the rights of the elderly in the context of the international human rights conventions.
Social Affairs expert at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Reem Al Ajami presented another working paper on the social and legal protection of the elderly at the national level.
A third working paper on how to deal with the psychological aspect of the elderly during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis was presented by Head of the Psychological Care Unit at the Center of Empowerment and Elderly Care (Ehsan) Salem Al Anezi.
The webinar shed light on the situation of the elderly category in the State of Qatar, both in terms of the social and legal aspects, and in terms of the measures taken for their benefit.
The NHRC called for setting up an emergency room and developing national strategies to face the crises that may be exposed to the priority care groups, whether health crises or others.
Meanwhile, the NHRC stressed the need for realising and activating the decision to establish the National Committee for Women, Children, Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Affairs, in addition to improving the process of protecting the priority care groups and defining the appropriate behaviour to meet the health challenges that they may be exposed to.
NHRC Assistant Secretary-General, Sultan Hassan Al Jamali underlined that the NHRC continues to monitor the efforts of the state to commit to its national, regional and international obligations.
Al Jamali reiterated the NHRC praise of the Cabinet decision No. (26) of 2019 on establishing the National Committee for Women, Children, Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Affairs, which he considered a call to promote the rights of the priority care groups, including the elderly.
He called on all governmental and non-governmental state agencies and institutions representing the National Committee for Women, Children, Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Affairs to establish an emergency room and prepare national strategies to be put into place to address the crises that may be exposed to the priority care groups, whether they are health crises or others.
Al Jamali valued the prominent and important role carried out by the Center of Empowerment and Elderly Care (Ehsan), and the high-level services it provides to promote recognition of the role of the elderly and their contributions to the development of the society, as well as its comprehensive, health, home and psychological care services, stressing that the rights of the elderly in time of crisis is one of the important issues that the NHRC closely monitors, given its religious, social, national and international obligations.
