By Samar Al-Muqrin
Al-Jazirah
THE best the Shoura Council has come out with this season is the report on the Kingdom’s compliance with international charters, conventions, treaties and agreements ratified by it. This ensued a Shoura Council’s study on the performance of the Human Rights Commission (HRC).
The best thing in this report, truly, is the recommendation calling for producing Saudi staff with international experience in all human rights fields. Such employees can work as envoys, investigators and experts in international organizations.
The recommendations stress the need to train Saudi personnel to work in posts of rapporteurs and envoys. Such staff can look into certain international cases and issues. This will enable the Kingdom to have an impact on the international arena, the report said.
I have written repeatedly on this subject for many years. However, it is better for something to come late than never. Actually, we have a clear shortcoming in dealing with international organizations. We left them to seek their information from unqualified people, those who engage in double-dealing and others who harbor hatred against our country. As a result, these organizations come out with illogical reports that are totally against us.
I have said this earlier and I reiterate: These organizations are not to blame and we do not have the right to blow our top when they issue unfair and biased reports against us, as they are devoid of any correct and authentic information.
This is because we are the ones who have left them to look for sources of information that do not depict the real situation in Saudi Arabia. They do not present the correct perspective, irrespective of reports being in our interest or against us. What is important is that we should have qualified and sincere Saudis, who are capable of dealing logically with these organizations. They should be capable of providing all the information required by these organizations so that they do not resort to double-standards!
As to the second issue, I recall it very well. I wish the Shoura Council discusses this point in particular during the sessions on the Human Rights Commission report. The issue is the United Nations halls being vacant of any Saudi organizations or societies when the Kingdom’s reports are presented.
I visited the UN earlier and attended discussions on several international reports. This was during a course at the Geneva Institute for Human Rights.
I had discussions with a number of officials and representatives of international societies and organizations there. The arrangement of seats (in UN halls) is such that usually there are equal seats for international societies and organizations when the report of any country is discussed.
They informed me that whenever Saudi reports are discussed, the Saudi government side is full. Meanwhile, there is no representation from nongovernment organizations and societies. The way I see this matter, there is a shortcoming in this connection because those who fill the Saudi NGO seats are foreign quarters that do not represent us. By leaving these seats empty, we have allowed such foreign quarters alone to occupy the vacant slots.
There are many issues in the field of rights, especially at the international level and in connection with local societies. Probably establishing societies that specialize in women’s and children’s rights will put an end to such seats remaining vacant. They will not give way to those who have ulterior motives and are bent on fault-finding. Such people always make sure that they alone have access to such organizations.
