(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A leading Arab human rights expert has called on Oman to ratify the Arab Charter on Human Rights and join the proposed Arab Court for Human Rights.
Dr Mohammed Amin al Midani from the Arab Center for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Education said it would be a 'dream' if Oman joined the Arab Court for Human Rights which is still in a project phase and which would be headquartered in Bahrain.
He said that in order for the court to move forward seven Arab countries must approve its framework. He was speaking at a conference organised by Oman's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at the Majlis A'Dawla on Wednesday. The conference held under the slogan 'Human Rights a Social Partnership' coincides with International Human Rights Day which falls on December 10.
The Arab Charter on Human Rights was initiated in 2004 and currently has 14 other Arab country as signatories according to Dr Midani.
He also called on Oman to open an office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to equip the security apparatus to further respect human rights. He and other panelists were speaking on ways to strengthen a culture of human rights in Oman through both governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Dr Midani said increased education and learning from other countries could help strengthen existing human rights law in the country. 'Strengthening [human rights] begins with...teaching and introducing human rights organising training sessions and sending activists to different regional and international organisations in order to immerse in others' experiences' he said. 'It's important to have one strategy. There should be cooperation between NGOs and the commission.'
Laila al Aufi director of international relations and organisations at NHRC said raising awareness by conducting workshops is an important priority but also challenging due to the sensitivity of human rights. 'It's important to make sure we're bringing awareness in a neutral manner. We're trying to do what's good for Oman in an Omani way' she said and clarified that NHRC receives part of its funding from the Ministry of Finance with government officials serving on the body only to facilitate dealings with government agencies.
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