UN welcomes rights body in Oman

Muscat: A senior UN official in Oman has welcomed the government's decision to institute a human rights commission for the first time.

"We applaud and welcome the decision," the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) representative in Oman, Laila Gad, told Gulf News.

The establishment of the rights panel was announced through a royal decree issued by Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed on Saturday.

The order, published by Oman News Agency (ONA), states that the National Human Rights Commission shall be established and affiliated to the Majlis Addawla, (State Council), members of which are appointed by the Omani ruler.

"The committee shall have a legal character, shall be autonomous in discharging its duties and shall have its headquarters in Muscat city," the royal decree said.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has dropped Oman's name from its report on human trafficking.

An official of the Omani Foreign Ministry told ONA that the changed US position is a step in the right direction. "It also reiterates the standards of dignity accorded to people living in Oman," the official said.

The official assured that Oman would continue its cooperation with the international community to combat crimes of human trafficking. "We thereby shoulder our responsibilities within the framework of international law and the UN protocol on prevention of human trafficking, which was ratified by the Sultanate in 2005," the official said.