Second Annual Report of the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) 2014 - Kingdom of Bahrain NIHR competence in the field of human rights promotion, as well as its role in the protection of human rights. NIHR mechanism for receiving complaints, the procedures related thereto, providing assistance and legal advice, and NIHR role in monitoring human rights violations were reviewed in the program. 27. In order to interact with international human rights mechanisms, particularly the United Nations treaty-based bodies, NIHR organized a lecture on the “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)” for the members of the Council of Commissioners participating in the meeting on the discussion of the report of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It also organized a seminar to the public in January 2014 about the said Convention and its role in protecting women’s rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The seminar was held in conjunction with the Kingdom of Bahrain preparation to submit and discuss its third report before the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). 28. In the same context, NIHR, at the request of the Supreme Council for Women, presented its observations and views on updating the information stated in the third report of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. NIHR outlined its observations under three main headings: observations on the guidelines related to the form and content of the reports to be submitted by States Parties to the international human rights treaties; observations on the content of the report; and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain implementation of the concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. On another occasion, NIHR responded to the questions received from the Supreme Council for Women pertaining to NIHR complaint filing mechanism for women, other related information, and the temporary special measures adopted by the States to accelerate de facto equality between women and men in various public fields 29. On February 10, 2014, on the sidelines of the meeting held for the discussion of the third periodic report of the Kingdom of Bahrain on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the President of NIHR delegation delivered a speech to the relevant Committee in which he outlined NIHR contribution, through the relevant national team, to updating the information of the third periodic report of the Government of the Kingdom. He presented NIHR observations and views on the report. He also indicated that most observations and views were adopted, except for a number of issues that have not been referred to in the early response of the Government Kingdom to the list of issues and questions submitted by the Committee. 30. In the area of partnership with civil society organizations and regional and international relevant bodies, NIHR signed several memoranda of understanding with the Ahlia University in Bahrain: on January 20, 2014; Dignity for Human Rights Association in Bahrain: on January 21, 2014; Bahrain Youth Society in Bahrain: on February 9, 2014; the National Center for Human Rights in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: on February 23, 2014; the National Council for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Morocco: on February 26, 2014; the Institute of Public Administration in the Kingdom of Bahrain: on March 3, 2014; the Political Development Institute of the Kingdom of Bahrain: on March 10, 2014; Bahraini Association for Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Bahrain: on April 20, 2014; the Arab Organization for Human Rights, based in the Arab Republic of Egypt, on May 25, 2014; the Independent Commission for Human Rights in the State of Palestine: on May 25, 2014; and the Ombudsmen Bureau in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: on May 25, 2014. 51