(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
GENEVA, 22nd January 2018 (WAM) – Tolerance, openness and acceptance of difference are the pillars of the national programme for tolerance, the UAE announced in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva as part of the Universal Periodic Review process.
The report was presented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar Gargash.
It detailed the UAE Government's commitment to fulfilling recommendations of the universal periodic review process. Accordingly, the state has established a set of "interrelated national policies and strategies to promote and ensure the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms."
These policies, the report explained, include multidisciplinary, comprehensive recommendations on equality, non-discrimination, the right to development, environmental issues, human rights and combating terrorism.
The UAE adopted Federal Decree-Law No. 2 of 2015 on combating discrimination and hatred. According to the report, the Decree-Law's 21 articles "address hatred, racism and extremism on the basis of religion, origin, race or colour, as well as the penalties imposed for perpetrating those offences."
In 2016, the National Tolerance Programme was adopted by the UAE Cabinet, with a view to entrenching the values of tolerance and multiculturalism in the country, promoting a culture of coexistence and rejecting all forms of discrimination, hatred and intolerance.
The report went on to say that the nation has made every effort to establish the foundations of social cohesion, one of the most important of which is the guarantee of religious freedom, enshrined in Article 32 of the Constitution. It added that residents of various faiths residing "in the country enjoy full freedom to practice religious rites and rituals in an atmosphere of tolerance, coexistence and freedom of worship."
The UAE is also among the leading nations in the fight against extremism both in the region and internationally. It supports all efforts aimed at destroying Daesh from Iraq and Syria and at fighting Al Qaeda in Yemen and Somalia. The UAE also tries to strengthen moderate voices inside and outside the country through initiatives such as the Forum to Strengthen Peace in Islamic Societies and the Muslim Council of Elders.
Among its various efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, the UAE fights against dangerous ideologies being spread on the internet. It has made many efforts to lend a voice of support to the millions fighting terror around the world. These include the Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi, which is a joint initiative between the UAE and the United States, aimed at confronting online terror and extremism propaganda.
The report also presented, in detail, actions taken to promote human rights in the country since the adoption by the Council of the second Universal Periodic Review on the UAE in 2013, including legislation and steps taken across a wide range of topics, including human trafficking, labour rights and the empowerment of women.
WAM/Nour Salman/Tariq alfaham
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