(Arabic; French)

Background

The Regional Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Beirut, Lebanon, was established in 2002 and is headed by the Regional Representative of the High Commissioner for the Middle East. The Regional Office covers Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Since its inauguration, the Regional Office has been progressively called upon by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to assist and cooperate in the formulation of programmes and activities to promote and protect all human rights for all. In addition, the Regional Office has been building partnerships with United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) to promote and protect human rights in several States in the region.

2008-2009 Programme

The Regional Office provides technical advice to governments in the field of human rights with regard to, inter alia, the ratification of human rights treaties and reporting on implementation; assists in the review of national legislation in light of international standards and makes recommendations on bridging gaps. It encourages States to establish national human rights institutions (NHRIs) or grant more independence to the existing institutions. Upon request, the Office similarly works with Governments and civil society in developing National Plans of Action on Human Rights. The Regional Office also designs and provides capacity building on the promotion, monitoring and protection of human rights in coordination with Governments, UN- Agencies, NGOs, municipal councils, law enforcement officials and the media.

The Regional Office provides information on and encourages interaction with UN human rights mechanisms such as committees of experts monitoring the implementation of international human rights treaties by State parties to these treaties (treaty bodies)  experts or groups of experts holding thematic or geographic mandates related to human rights assigned by the Human Rights Council and other UN organs (Special Procedures) and the newly established Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a peer review mechanism on the human rights situation of all countries in a 4-year cycle. The Regional office also assists in forwarding relevant information to various human rights mandate holders and facilitates in the organization of their visits to the region.

Human rights publications in Arabic are distributed on a regular basis to Governments, Parliaments, NHRIs and NGO, as well as bar associations and universities. Analytical papers and presentations are similarly presented on human rights trends at both regional and country levels, either by the Office or in cooperation with its partners.

The Regional Office takes part in setting-up human rights priorities in the respective countries through the processes of the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), in collaboration with UN Country Teams. It also assists in conducting training sessions on the human rights based approach to development, particularly in the achievement of the MDGs and gender mainstreaming in the work of all United Nations staff, especially the staff of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Expected Accomplishments

Improve effective human rights monitoring and protection capacities. Assist in the development of National Plans of Action on Human Rights.  Improve the conditions of migrant workers and trafficked persons through the introduction of protection mechanisms. Improve the human rights of non- citizens, including stateless persons in the Middle East. Assist the creation and strengthening of independent national human rights institutions Increase human rights defenders engagement and effective use of United Nations Human Rights mechanisms, in particular those addressing popular participation and freedom of expression, association and assembly. Increase Governments engagement with the United Nations treaty body mechanisms, in particular those addressing popular participation and freedom of expression, association and assembly. Mainstream human rights in the programs and activities of UN Agencies in the region.

During the current biennium, the Regional Office collaborated with the Steering Committee for Migrant Domestic Workers and the ILO. Outcomes of the project include the unified contract for Domestic Migrant Workers (DMW) and a new registration procedure for employment agencies.

Together with the ILO, the OHCHR also organized in 2008 an Expert Seminar on Freedom of Expression, Association and Assembly in the Middle East & North Africa, envisioned as the first in a series of activities to raise the level of protection for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression, association and assembly in the Middle East. The event brought together for the first time journalists, trade unionists and human rights defenders, discussing mutual concerns and challenges as well as possible areas where cooperation to protect and promote these rights in the region.

Following the violent events in Nahr el-Bared Camp in northern Lebanon in 2007 the Regional Office undertook a fact finding mission and later deployed two staff members to lead the Protection Working Group and conduct protection activities in cooperation with UNRWA. Similarly, the Regional Office investigated several incidents that occurred during the May 2008 events in Lebanon.

With the introduction of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2007, the OHCHR Beirut Office has and will continue to engage with governments, NGOs and other stakeholders in the region, in order to facilitate their interaction and use of the new mechanism. The UPR is a cooperative process which, by 2011, will have reviewed the human rights records of every member country of the UN. Currently, no other universal mechanism of this kind exists, its aim being to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur. Of the countries the Office covers, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen were successfully reviewed in 2008/2009. Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syrian Arab Republic and Oman stand to be reviewed later in 2009 and over coming years.

OHCHR during and after the 2006 war in Lebanon

During the armed conflict with Israel in July- August 2006, OHCHR’s new Rapid Response Unit in Geneva dispatched additional staff to monitor and report regularly to Headquarters. In the aftermath of the conflict, the Office received four United Nations Human Rights Experts (special procedure mandate holders): the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, internally displaced persons, adequate standard of living and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. OHCHR-Beirut provided administrative and logistical support and contributed to the preparation of the programme of the visit of the experts which took place from 6 to 10 September 2006. The mandate holders also visited Israel from 10 to 14 September. The Office similarly assisted the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, who conducted a mission in Lebanon in September 2006.

The OHCHR Beirut Office, pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolution A/2-1 of 11 August 2006, further assisted a three-member Commission of Inquiry during its mission to Lebanon to investigate human rights and humanitarian law violations committed by Israel during the conflict. After receiving the report of the Commission of Inquiry, the Human Rights Council passed resolution 3/3 on December 8.

For more information about UNOHCHR:
Fateh Azzam
Regional Representative
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Middle East
C/O UN House
Place Riad el Solh
Beirut, Lebanon
P.O. Box 11-8575
Tel.: + 961 (1) 981 414
Fax: +961 (1) 981 526
Email: ohchr-me@un.org

Additional Information also available at:
http://www.ohchr.org/english
and
http://www.ohchr.org/english/countries/regional/arab/middleeast.htm


Updated: May 2009

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