National Institution for Human Rights – Kingdom of Bahrain for Human Rights. NIHR also took part in the ninth Annual Meeting of the Arab Network of National Institutions for Human Rights, held in Rabat, Morocco, on “Transitional Justice Experience in Morocco” 13. During the workshop titled “From ratification to implementation: the United Nations human rights treaties and the GCC countries”, NIHR presented a working paper titled “Core International Human Rights Conventions in Bahrain”, prepared by Counselor Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Farhan, the Secretary General of the Institution, held in Doha, Qatar, in collaboration with the United Nations Centre for Human Rights Training and Education for South-West Asia and the Arab Region, University College London, the University of Qatar, and Georgetown University (Qatar), with the participation of government representatives and representatives of national institutions for human rights in GCC. 14. During the “Arab Conference for the Development of the Human Rights System at the League of Arab States”, held in Doha, which was organized by the National Committee for Human Rights in Qatar in cooperation with the Arab Network of National Institutions for Human Rights, NIHR presented a working paper entitled “Establishment of an Arab Court for Human Rights”, prepared by Counselor Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Farhan, NIHR Secretary-General. In his paper, Dr. Farhan referred to His Majesty the King initiative for establishing an Arab court for human rights, which is an unprecedented initiative in the Arab world to add a new dimension to the joint Arab action in the field of promotion and protection of human rights. This court is a necessary legal mechanism to support human rights in the framework of the League of Arab States. 15. NIHR participated in the 18th Meeting of Asia Pacific Forum, which was held in Doha, Qatar, in the presence of representatives of Arab human rights institutions, along with a representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and a number of international experts. The purpose of the meeting is to protect and promote human rights of the peoples of Asia Pacific region by supporting the establishment and development of national institutions for human rights and fostering cooperation between these national institutions and the United Nations on the one hand, and government and non-government organizations on the other. 16. At the international level, NIHR participated in the inauguration of the 26th session of the International Coordinating Committee on the National Institutions for Human Rights (ICC) held in the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The purpose of the session was to strengthen the role of national institutions in promoting and protecting human rights through supporting and establishing channels of communication between the activities of the national institutions for international human rights networks and develop its capabilities. NIHR also participated in the eighth session of the ArabEuropean Dialogue of National Institutions for Human Rights in Copenhagen. PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS 17. Protection of human rights is the corresponding basic foundation of the role of national institutions in the promotion of these rights. This has been clearly demonstrated in Paris Principles relating to the status of national institutions in promoting human rights, which grant national institutions quasi-judicial competence through its authority to receive and consider human rights related complaints and refer these complaints to the competent authorities for follow-up. Further, the national institutions are tasked with informing the relevant parties of the procedures of due process and help them take these procedures, or provide assistance to settle these complaints with the concerned authorities. 20

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