KUWAIT: Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs Ambassador Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah said on Monday that Kuwait’s relationship with human rights dates back to the beginnings of independence. This was stated in a statement by Sheikha Jawaher Al-Sabah to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after her participation in the introductory meeting of the members of the National Standing Committee to prepare reports and follow up on recommendations related to human rights. The program was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs and civil society institutions.

Sheikha Jawaher Al-Sabah explained that the first mention of human rights came in the speech of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah during the first anniversary of independence in 1962, in which he said that “Kuwait is a peace-loving country seeking to strengthen it, pursuing a policy of non-alignment, seeking to consolidate ties, and adhering to the Charter of the United Nations and the Bill of Human Rights” as enshrined in the constitution in 1962.

She added that with the accession of Kuwait to the United Nations in 1963, that relationship was framed. Kuwait believes in the active and vital role played by civil society institutions for the growth and Renaissance.

The country is respecting human rights together with the relevant government agencies. She pointed out that Kuwait is a party to basic human rights conventions, namely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Civil Covenant on Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Convention Against Torture.

The committee is in the process of preparing the fourth report, which is supposed to be submitted in 2025, and Kuwait enjoys a special relationship with the United Nations and all its organs, including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She drew attention to the membership at the human rights council for the period 2024–2026 and its commitment to implement the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and strengthen cooperation with the human rights council and its mechanisms.

For his part, the assistant undersecretary for Social Development Affairs at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Dr Khalid Al-Ajmi, stressed, in a similar statement to KUNA, the keenness of the ministry and its cadres to listen to all the opinions and proposals, overcome obstacles in front of them, and support them in developing topics related to human rights. Al-Ajmi added that there are 200 associations that are under the supervision of the ministry. — KUNA