Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

112th session

Summary record of the 3064th meeting

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Thursday, 18 April 2024, at 10 a.m.

Chair:Mr. Balcerzak

Contents

Consideration of reports, comments and information submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention (continued)

Combined twenty-second and twenty- third periodic reports of Qatar(continued)

The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m.

Consideration of reports, comments and information submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention (continued)

Combined twenty-second and twenty-third periodic reports of Qatar (continued) (CERD/C/QAT/22-23; CERD/C/QAT/Q/22-23)

At the invitation of the Chair, the delegation of Qatar joined the meeting.

Mr. Guissé (Country Rapporteur) said that it would be useful to know what measures had been adopted to strengthen the State party’s data-collection system, including to integrate variables related to self-identified ethnicity and nationality. Information would also be welcome on the steps taken to combat the structural, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination suffered by non-nationals, particularly persons of South Asian and sub‑Saharan African origin, in public and private life and to guarantee their effective enjoyment of rights under the Convention, including through special measures. The Committee would also appreciate information on the impact of such steps and the participation of the persons affected in their design, implementation and evaluation.

He would appreciate clarification as to the apparent continued requirement for migrant workers wishing to change their employment to present certificates of non-objection from their employers, and with regard to the legal provisions that allowed employers to require up to 5 per cent of their workforce to seek consent before leaving the country. He wished to know how the State party was working to eradicate the kafalah system in law and in practice and to address concerns regarding migrant workers’ ability to change employment, possible reprisals against workers who attempted to do so, and shortcomings in prosecutions against employers who violated legislation intended to dismantle the kafalah system.

He wondered how the State party had strengthened protection for migrant workers and addressed concerns that they often suffered non-payment or delayed payment of their wages; that workers not covered by labour law, such as domestic and agricultural workers, were excluded from the wage protection system; that there were obstacles to obtaining justice and remedies via the committees established to settle labour disputes; and that many migrant workers were indebted to recruitment agencies and therefore vulnerable to exploitation and forced labour. Specifically, he would welcome information on the approximately 11,000 complaints linked to wages lodged in 2022 and the measures adopted to render complaints mechanisms accessible to migrant workers and protect them from reprisals by their employers.

He asked what steps had been taken to ensure that migrant domestic workers enjoyed the same legal protections as workers covered by the Labour Code, to combat abusive labour practices against them, to facilitate their access to effective complaints mechanisms, and to strengthen labour inspection. The Committee also wished to know how female migrant domestic workers were protected from physical and sexual violence. He would appreciate details of the measures adopted to enforce occupational safety and health regulations, including those linked to heat stress; in particular, he wondered whether all companies were required to comply with Decree No. 17 of 2021 of the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs regarding the precautions necessary to protect workers from heat stress, and whether mechanisms to enforce that law were in place.

It would be good to have clarification of the number of migrant workers who had died during construction work linked to the State party’s hosting of the 2022 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, as well as details of the related investigations and reparations granted to their families, including the creation of a compensation fund for the families of workers deemed to have died from natural causes in the absence of an appropriate investigation. He also wished to know how the State party prevented and investigated deaths and injuries among migrant workers in the construction industry, including in relation to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

He would appreciate details of the national and municipal legislation that reportedly prevented migrant workers from renting accommodation in certain areas. The delegation was invited to comment on reports that there were insufficient places in public and community schools for foreign children, and that the wages of foreign staff in public schools amounted to half of those of their Qatari counterparts. He would like to know how the State party guaranteed effective access to education, health care and appropriate accommodation for foreigners, including migrant workers, migrants with irregular status, refugees, asylum‑seekers and stateless persons. What measures were in place to guarantee migrant workers’ right to family reunification?

Mr. Rayess, while expressing satisfaction at the role that Qatar was playing on the world stage, said that he would appreciate information on the case of Mr. Benabderrahmane, a national of France and Algeria who had been unjustly detained and sentenced to death, including his current situation.

Ms. Shepherd said that she wondered how the State party assessed the impact of its efforts to combat discrimination and whether it had drawn on the Committee’s general recommendations.

Ms. Stavrinaki said that it would be useful to find out what happened to migrant workers found to have been infected with HIV and what treatment they received.

Ms. Tebie said that she wished to know why the State party’s two endowment schools followed different curricula, whether nationality was taken into consideration in admissions to those schools, how many foreign children attended them, whether those children received teaching in their first languages, and what happened to the schools’ students, particularly foreigners, after graduation.

Ms. Tlakula said that clarification would be welcome as to the groups that underwent HIV testing, its purpose and the steps taken when an individual was found to be HIV-positive.

Mr. Tlemçani said that he would like to know what lessons had been learned during the State party’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in terms of human rights, hate speech, racial discrimination, migrant workers, and occupational safety and health. He would like to know what role the National Human Rights Committee had played in monitoring and protecting the human rights of migrant workers before and during the World Cup. He wondered how the State party could build on achievements in that regard, particularly in relation to racial discrimination.

Mr. Amir said that the role played by Qatar in promoting justice, dignity and peace around the world should be recognized.

A representative of Qatar said that hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup had accelerated the development of legislation and policies, enriched cultural diversity and combated negative stereotypes in Qatar. All persons in Qatar, both foreigners and Qatari nationals, underwent HIV testing as part of efforts to ascertain their overall health status. Legislation on censuses and statistics had been adopted, and a national statistics agency had been established, which published its data online. Population data were disaggregated by nationality but not by ethnicity. Legislation was also in place to protect political asylum‑seekers and refugees, afford them travel documentation and uphold their political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the rights to health, education and family reunification. No information was available on the case of Mr. Benabderrahmane.

A representative of Qatar said that recent legislation and work practices that improved working conditions did not discriminate between groups of workers, including in relation to income and benefits; indeed, they were intended to eliminate structural discrimination and disparities. Labour reforms had been undertaken at all levels and included the introduction of a legislative framework, while a programme of technical cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) had been renewed until 2028 to ensure the continuation of those reforms and address future developments. The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs had been restructured to meet the needs of the labour market and the expectations of employers and workers.

Legal reforms had been made to abolish the kafalah system, including amendments to the Labour Code that allowed all workers to change their employment without the need for non-objection certificates and which removed the requirement for exit permits. Provisions allowing employers to require such permits from 5 per cent of their workforce were intended to prevent difficulties in the event of the departure of senior employees. A transparent grievance system was in place, and complaints were referred to a competent committee of the Ministry of the Interior should employers fail to respond within three days. Around 35 per cent of migrant workers had been able to change their employment since the introduction of the legal reforms. Improvements had been made to the online platform that provided assistance to workers, and the time taken to process applications had decreased significantly. Efforts had been made to prevent the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers, who had benefited from awareness-raising campaigns and publications in 12 languages.

A number of mechanisms had contributed to tackling the non-payment of wages and improving workers’ access to remedies. The wage protection system, which required wages to be paid into bank accounts, had registered almost 2 million workers and 74,000 employers; efforts continued to be made to encourage private sector employers to register. Sanctions for employers who failed to pay wages had been increased to a fine of 10,000 riyals and 1 year’s imprisonment. In 2023, 20,000 companies had committed wage violations. Workers could lodge complaints of the non-payment of wages with the dispute resolution department of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, which aimed to process them within one week. If no amicable settlement could be reached, complaints were referred to the committees established to settle labour disputes, which took a decision within three weeks and could require employers to pay the unpaid wages, as well as other entitlements. Workers were also covered by a fund in the event of their employers’ insolvency. The fund, which had been restructured in 2020 to expedite compensation procedures, had assisted more than 138,000 workers as of December 2023 and also acted as a legal mediator between workers and employers.

Steps had been taken to improve the complaints mechanism for workers, which was accessible to both domestic and other workers. Complaints, which could be lodged anonymously, were resolved within one week, and workers received legal support and free interpretation services during meetings that aimed to reach amicable resolutions. The capacity of the Ministry’s staff had been built up in an effort to increase the number of complaints resolved amicably. If that was not possible, cases were referred to the labour dispute resolution committees, whose number had been increased to five in order to process complaints in a timely manner. Of the more than 20,000 complaints lodged in 2023, around 14,000 had been resolved amicably. Employers had been made more aware of the illegality of confiscating workers’ passports; under Qatari law, such an act was tantamount to trafficking in persons. Efforts were also made to raise workers’ awareness of their rights and the available remedies. The confiscation of workers’ passports was no longer common, and more than 200 of the approximately 240 reports of such action received in the previous four years had resulted in legal proceedings.

A representative of Qatar said that the right to education was enshrined in the Constitution. Education was one of the foundations of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and was a priority in the Third National Development Strategy (2024–2030). Foreign children made up more than half of the students in public schools, and the number of applications to those schools increased each year. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education was engaged in building schools, training teachers, modernizing curricula and providing technological resources. It had also established schools that catered to different communities; parents could choose to send their children to one of 24 private schools offering international curricula, including the international baccalaureate. Support, such as the provision of land and exemption from taxes, was provided to encourage the opening of private schools for different communities. There were seven endowment schools, supervised by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; they followed the Qatari or British curriculum or provided vocational education. The British curriculum had been selected in order to accommodate the largest number of students. Teachers were covered by labour legislation, which governed the setting of their salaries and allowances.

Mr. Guissé said that he would welcome the delegation’s comments on the requirement for domestic workers to provide 72 hours’ notice to their employers before leaving employment or the country, as well as replies to his questions on discrimination in housing for migrant workers.

Ms. Stavrinaki said that she would appreciate a reply to her questions concerning migrant workers who tested positive for HIV. She wished to know whether the State party planned to ratify the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).

Mr. Rayess said that it was important that the Committee was able to examine the case file relating to Mr. Benabderrahmane.

Ms. Tlakula said that she would appreciate an update on the status of draft legislation on the activities of the media.

A representative of Qatar said that the case of Mr. Tayeb Benabderrahmane had been heard by several courts and examined by various lawyers, and the French and Algerian embassies were aware of his situation; it did not, therefore, constitute an enforced disappearance. The Government could not interfere in judicial proceedings.

A representative of Qatar said that all persons in Qatar, regardless of nationality or migration status, had access to health care, a right that was upheld via a legal framework and a new health insurance system. Patients’ rights and responsibilities were set out in a ministerial decision that stipulated that all patients had the right to health care without discrimination, subject to capacity. Migrant workers who tested positive for HIV had access to free treatment.

A representative of Qatar said that domestic workers enjoyed the same legal protections as other workers. Act No. 15 of 2017 on domestic workers afforded them rights in the areas of leave and contracts that aligned with ILO Convention No. 189. A model employment contract for domestic workers had been circulated among international recruitment agencies, and contracts could be signed electronically, with a copy given to workers. Domestic workers could lodge complaints through an electronic portal, and they enjoyed freedom of movement. Their awareness of their rights had been raised through information sessions organized in cooperation with the authorities in countries of origin and through work undertaken with ILO and the International Domestic Workers Federation. More than 10,000 domestic workers had changed their employment in the previous three years, and in 2023 more than 500 had submitted complaints, all of which had been resolved.

Criminal law provided for significant sanctions for physical and sexual violence against domestic workers, which was combated through, inter alia, a rehabilitation centre and an online application in several languages that provided immediate assistance. A protocol on legal assistance for domestic workers had been signed with a lawyers’ association.

A dedicated commission worked to combat trafficking in persons, which had been addressed through an action plan since 2018. Cases of trafficking were heard by a specialist court, and victims were assisted in shelters.

Occupational safety and health were promoted through labour inspections, a national policy drawn up in partnership with employers and workers, and a dedicated department within the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs. Around 6,500 violations had been detected during the more than 24,000 workplace inspections conducted in 2023. Similarly, inspections of more than 4,000 worker accommodation units had uncovered almost 1,500 violations of the relevant regulations. Minimum wage legislation required employers to provide decent accommodation to workers or to pay a housing allowance to skilled workers. All persons, including migrant workers, could freely choose their place of residence. Steps were taken to ensure that rental housing was not occupied by more than the authorized number of tenants.

The right to family life of migrant workers was respected. For example, a migrant worker in Qatar who wished to reunite with the members of his or her family needed only to show that he or she was able to provide for them.

Considerable efforts, including regular inspections, were made to ensure occupational safety and health. A report on injuries in the workplace was produced on annual basis. There had been 63 workplace fatalities in 2022. The deaths of migrant workers that had occurred in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup had been reported to all relevant national and international stakeholders when they had occurred.

The meeting was suspended at 11.30 a.m. and resumed at 11.45 p.m.

Ms. Chung (Country Task Force) said that she wished to know what measures the State party had taken to ensure that non-nationals, including migrants and domestic workers, could exercise their right to freedom of association and assembly, and in particular to create and register associations, form and join trade unions and participate in peaceful demonstrations or strikes without fear of discrimination or expulsion.

As nearly 90 per cent of the State party’s population was not from Qatar, and in many cases not Muslim, it would be helpful to learn what efforts the State party had made to protect everyone’s right to freedom of religion and belief. It would also be helpful to learn what steps had been taken to do away with the barriers to employment faced by non-nationals, the restrictions on their religious activities, and the discriminatory laws under which religious groups were required to register with the authorities and blasphemy and the propagation of religions other than Islam were made a crime.

She wondered what measures the State party had taken to remove the burdensome and discriminatory obstacles to the registration of civil society organizations and to ensure that such organizations, including those working to combat racial discrimination and promote the rights of migrants, could operate freely and in a safe environment. She wondered, too, what had been done, including by revising the relevant legal framework, to ensure an open space for human rights defenders and journalists.

Naturalization was difficult in the State party. By law, no more than 50 foreign nationals a year could become citizens of Qatar. She would therefore welcome information on any plans that had been made to facilitate the acquisition of citizenship or permanent residency, not least by making the requirements less stringent. She would also welcome an indication of the numbers of people who had applied for and obtained citizenship of Qatar and of any measures that had been taken or were planned to ensure that naturalized citizens of the State party enjoyed the same rights as natural-born Qataris.

She wished to know how many applications for asylum there had been – and how many such applications had been successful – since the entry into force of Act No. 11 of 2018, the Political Asylum Act. She also wished to know whether measures had been taken to amend the Act with a view to prohibiting refoulement and providing asylum-seekers with access to the legal remedies that would enable them to pursue their applications for asylum.

She asked how many stateless persons, including Bidoon and members of the Al Ghufran clan, there were in the State party and what measures it had taken to reduce statelessness. What efforts were made to prevent arbitrary deprivation of nationality and ensure redress and the right of appeal before a court for all persons who had been deprived of their nationality, including by amending the Nationality Act?

Mr. Diaby said that, as the State party was a country of migrants, many of whom did not necessarily speak Arabic, he wondered whether the aid that was provided to enable asylum-seekers to gain access to justice included subsidized interpretation services. It would also be helpful to learn whether the assistance of counsel was provided free of charge.

He wondered whether the two lawyers who had recently been given life sentences for their opposition to the adoption of a law could appeal their convictions. He wondered, too, whether they had been assisted by counsel.

In the mid-1900s, when slavery had been abolished in the State party, half the population of Doha and Wakrah had been black. He wished to know what had led to the subsequent invisibility of the State party’s black population. Were special measures being taken to enable black people to play a more prominent role in public life?

Did the Government ensure that persons likely to be deprived of their nationality were nationals of another State, in order to avoid the risk of statelessness?

Mr. Rayess said that he was well aware that the members of the delegation of a State party that appeared before the Committee might not be familiar with the court cases about which they were asked. He had asked about the case of a person who had been sentenced to death by firing squad before apparently being released, because it was his duty as a Committee member to do so.

The Chair said that the State party could consider declaring, in accordance with article 14 (1) of the Convention, that it recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals or groups of individuals within its jurisdiction claiming to be victims of a violation by the State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention. Qatar, it was worth noting, had been the first State party to make use of the inter-State communication procedure provided for in article 11 (2).

A representative of Qatar said that his delegation would make every effort to answer Committee members’ questions about particular court cases. It would nonetheless be helpful to be given in writing the names of the persons about whose cases there were questions.

Freedom of religion and worship was guaranteed in Qatar. Almost 70 places of worship covering different faiths were registered in the State party. As there had been incidents after the attacks of 11 September 2001, security at all places of worship had been stepped up. No one was deported on account of his or her religious beliefs, and there was no discrimination on the basis of religion.

No applications for political asylum had been submitted. The article of the Political Asylum Act under which refugees were required to obtain official approval to move from their government-assigned place of residence had been drafted for their protection. The authorities simply had to know where they were.

The term “persons of African descent” was not used in Qatar. There were people of different skin colours or races in the country, and black people worked as ambassadors, doctors and commanding officers in the armed forces. There was no discrimination against people of African descent, as some Committee members called them.

A representative of Qatar said that cultural, social, educational, scientific and professional associations could be created in Qatar, provided they did not have profit‑making as one of their aims and did not carry out any political activities. An application to create an association was to be submitted by a group of no fewer than 20 Qataris aged at least 18.

A representative of Qatar said that Decree No. 21 of 2019 of the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, which drew on the relevant international standards, had been adopted to regulate conditions and procedures for electing workers’ representatives to joint committees, on which employers and employees were equally represented. The new model of joint committees had been designed in full coordination with ILO and major global trade unions. It was not necessary for the members of joint committees to be nationals of Qatar; migrant workers could also be elected to the committees. Some of the joint committees that had been formed since the adoption of the Decree were sector-specific; the first one had been set up for representatives of the employers and employees of a group of 12 hotels. The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs was taking steps to require all employers of more than 100 persons to have joint committees.

The rights of peaceful assembly and protest were regulated by Act No. 18 of 2004 on public meetings and processions, which required that assemblies must be peaceful and must respect public order, public morals and religious principles. Under articles 4 and 5 of the Act, organizers must obtain written authorization from the Ministry of the Interior, which would indicate the time and place of the assembly. Requests for authorization must be submitted seven days beforehand; should the request be refused, an appeal could be filed with the Minister of the Interior within 24 hours of that decision.

A representative of Qatar said that the Government was open to ratifying the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Qatar had participated in the global campaign to end statelessness within a decade (the I Belong campaign) of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Government abided by relevant international standards and instruments and best practices and had taken steps to reduce statelessness. For example, it collected information and had established a database on stateless persons, on the basis of Decree No. 1 of 1984 of the Minister of the Interior regulating temporary permits for stateless persons. In recent years, the number of stateless persons in the State party had fallen as their situations had been regularized, including through naturalization as Qatari citizens.

The competent authorities had stripped several people of Qatari citizenship for various reasons, including fraudulent acquisition and the holding of dual citizenship. The individuals in question had not been made stateless, as it had been ascertained that they had another nationality. Stateless students were given cards that enabled them to continue their schooling or education until their situation was regularized.

A representative of Qatar said that the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulated that the courts must appoint a lawyer for defendants who did not have one. The Supreme Council of the Judiciary had established a legal aid department that assisted defendants and litigants, irrespective of their nationality. Parties to proceedings who encountered legal difficulties could submit a request to the department, which would examine their application and appoint a lawyer. Alternatively, they could appoint a lawyer of their choosing, with the cost covered by the State. There was also a legal interpretation department that employed a large number of specialized interpreters, working in many languages. Simultaneous interpretation services were compatible with the electronic portal that was used to hold virtual court hearings.

A representative of Qatar said that the Shura Council, on the instructions of the Emir of Qatar, was drafting a new election law that did not make any distinction between Qatari citizens. The Prime Minister had admitted that the new law might have shortcomings, as it would be the first such law that Qatar had introduced. The draft law on printing, publishing, media activities and the arts had not yet been enacted. The circumstances of the case of the Kenyan blogger and activist had been elucidated in other settings; the case had been settled by the Qatari courts.

The Government of Qatar found that the Committee’s general recommendations were highly important for addressing certain challenges in the country’s legislative framework and administrative or legal provisions.

Ms. Chung said that the Committee had received many reports of deportation and other forms of oppression perpetrated against foreign nationals belonging to religious groups.

She would be interested to know what steps had been taken to remedy the situation of undocumented migrant workers, and especially that of children born to migrant workers in Qatar, who reportedly were undocumented because their parents’ visas did not permit the regularization of their legal status. The delegation might also comment on reports that female migrant domestic workers who had been sexually assaulted by their employers were at risk of subsequent punishment or imprisonment for the offence of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) under the country’s morality laws.

She would also be interested to know what measures the State party had taken to improve its system for collecting data on trafficking cases, in order to evaluate the scope of the problem and to assess the efficiency of anti-trafficking measures. She wondered what had been done to ensure that trafficking cases were thoroughly investigated, perpetrators brought to justice and victims provided with full reparation and means of protection.

Mr. Yeung Sik Yuen said that it seemed that asylum and naturalization were extremely difficult to obtain in Qatar. He understood that, in the event of a decision rejecting an application for asylum or naturalization, any appeals would be decided by the Prime Minister. He wondered whether it would be more appropriate for such appeals to be decided by judges, in keeping with the principle of separation of powers.

Recalling that foreign nationals accounted for up to 90 per cent of the population, and that the country relied upon immigration to sustain its economy, he would be interested to know how long immigrants usually stayed in Qatar and what percentage of them eventually moved to another country.

Ms. Stavrinaki said that she wished to know whether the law requiring the signature of 20 Qatari citizens in order to establish an association prevented non-citizens from establishing associations. She, too, would be grateful for information on any steps taken to improve the situation of female migrant domestic workers, considering that the withholding of citizenship from their children was a textbook example of intersectional discrimination.

Ms. Shepherd said that she would be glad to receive information, which might be provided in writing, on the impact of strategies to eliminate racial discrimination and how the State party had taken into account the Committee’s general recommendations in developing those strategies. The term “people of African descent”, although not universally accepted, reflected the heritage of people whose ancestors had been trafficked from Africa. Regardless of the term used, she would be interested to know more about the Government’s strategies to ensure non-discrimination against black people.

Ms. Tebie said that she wished to know whether the system whereby the organizers of demonstrations were required to obtain authorization from the authorities might be replaced with a system of notification.

Mr. Diaby said that the Committee had been informed about the case of two brothers, the lawyers Hazza and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for offences that included contesting laws ratified by the Emir. He wished to know whether they might appeal against their sentence or apply for clemency from the Emir.

A representative of Qatar said he understood that the case of the two lawyers, who had received a preliminary sentence, was now at the appeal stage. The Emir might issue a pardon once the final judgment had been handed down.

Issues related to trafficking in persons were dealt with under the Anti-Human Trafficking Act (No. 15 of 2011), which was in full compliance with international law on the subject, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Qatar had a national committee that was responsible for combating human trafficking at the domestic level. Posters to raise awareness of trafficking had been displayed in Qatari airports, and Qatar Airways flight attendants were trained to identify trafficking victims. There had been a prosecution in a case of human trafficking.

Regarding the right of association, the law indeed provided that associations must be established by not less than 20 Qatari nationals, although there were exceptions. It was possible for non-nationals to found associations.

A representative of Qatar said that there had been a specific case in which a domestic worker had been subjected to abuse and subsequently punished for the offence of zina. The Ministry of Labour conducted inspection campaigns, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior and other relevant authorities, in order to detect cases of abuse. Domestic workers who had been abused were treated as victims, rather than offenders; they received legal and financial protection, medical care and psychological support and were placed in shelters.

Mr. Guissé said that the dialogue had been a fruitful and a vibrant one. Although an advanced country in terms of economic success and technological prowess, Qatar nonetheless faced certain challenges, especially in relation to the situation of foreign nationals. He encouraged the State party to reflect upon those challenges and to continue its efforts to address them.

A representative of Qatar said that he was grateful to the Committee for its comments and observations. His Government took the view that human rights could be advanced through dialogue and the exchange of experience. It would draw on the Committee’s concluding observations to enhance its policies and programmes.

The changes that Qatar had experienced in recent years reflected the Government’s attachment to the promotion of justice and the dignity of humankind. The Government stood ready to cooperate with international organizations, non-governmental organizations and other partners, considering that, through collective endeavour and solidarity, the international community could achieve the difficult objectives of promoting and protecting human rights around the world.

The meeting rose at 1.05 p.m.