Abu Dhabi: Academics and members of the UAE’s parliament yesterday slammed as “full of prejudice and ignorance” a Washington report on the UAE’s human rights record.
The US State Department report, published on April 19, portrays a picture of another country, definitely not the UAE, said Ali Eisa Al Nuaimi, a member of the Federal National Council.
“The UAE has been working on advancing the protection of human rights of citizens and residents alike,” the representative from Ajman said. “However, the American report is full of prejudice and ignorance,” he said.
Al Nuaimi said members of the United Nations admired the UAE’s human rights record when Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, presented it before the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva recently..
Al Nuaimi said the UAE has been taking a constructive approach to improving human-trafficking laws, the empowerment of women, protection of children’s rights, labour regulations and the promotion of equality.
Ali Jasem Ahmad, a veteran member of the House, said the American report was shocking. “Everybody is admiring the UAE’s achievements in human rights, including US diplomats. So how come the State Department’s report was so critical of the nation’s human rights record?,” Jasem asked.
He said should another country present a report of the US human rights record, such a report would include “the gravest violations ever seen in the world”.
Jasem said the report failed to give adequate recognition to the fact that no democratic institution such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union has ever criticised the UAE human rights record.
The UAE said on Sunday it was “engaging in constructive dialogue” on human rights, adding that it had made progress and was committed to facing challenges on human rights issues, including torture and women’s rights.
Dr Abdul Rahim Al Awadi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs, said in a statement published by WAM that the UAE 2012 Human Rights Report “does not mention some of the important steps that the UAE has taken in 2012 to further the protection of human rights”.
Dr Al Awadi said the UAE faces many challenges on human rights issues, like other countries, and is highly committed to an ongoing process of improvement in this regard.
“The UAE Government takes concerns of any possible violation of human rights very seriously and is constantly working at strengthening its capacity to respond to these. It will continue to take this proactive approach in a way that is consistent with its Constitution, laws and traditions,” Dr Al Awadi said.
Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, vice chancellor of UAE University, said the UAE’s human right record has made this country an attractive environment for more than 200 nationalities living and working here in peace and security.
The UAE, Dr Al Nuaimi said, has been an open and tolerant society ensuring to all its people and residents the enjoyment of all rights and freedoms and religious practice to all nationalities, regardless of their race, gender or religion. “Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms has always been an essential part of the country’s values, stemming from Islamic teachings,” he said.
“The political achievements made by the UAE over the past years were a giant leap in social, economic and cultural conditions of our people,” Dr Al Nuaimi said citing UAE University’s topmost ranking in terms of teaching staff from around the globe on QS World University Rankings, published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
The QS World University Rankings is regarded as one of the three most influential and widely observed international university rankings, along with the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities
Dr Gargash appeared in Geneva in January to present a report to the HRC’s Universal Periodic Review.
“The UAE will continue to work with this council to advance the promotion and protection of human rights at home and abroad,” Dr Gargash said.
