Doha, March 19 (QNA) - GCC National Human Rights Institutions held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the Iranian attacks on the Gulf states and their repercussions on the human rights situation.

The meeting, convened at the initiative of the Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), was attended by representatives from the Oman Human Rights Commission, the National Institute for Human Rights of Bahrain, the National Human Rights Bureau of Kuwait, the Human Rights Commission of Saudi Arabia, the National Human Right Institution of the United Arab Emirates, the GCC General Secretariat, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

Participants strongly condemned these attacks, which violate the UN Charter and constitute a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law. These attacks, they noted, included deliberate targeting of vital civilian infrastructure, resulting in widespread and serious violations of international human rights law.

The participants welcomed the measures taken by the competent authorities in the Gulf States and their swift response to the challenges arising from the attacks, which strengthened the protection of the right to life and ensured that citizens, residents, and visitors enjoyed their basic rights and services.

In this context, HE Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah affirmed that the emergency meeting reflects the deep awareness of national human rights institutions in the GCC States regarding the dangers posed by the ongoing aggression, which flagrantly violates the Charter of the United Nations, the rules of international humanitarian law, and international human rights law.

She pointed out that this crime consisted of the deliberate targeting of civilian facilities and vital infrastructure, resulting in grave and widespread violations of the rights of the civilian population, most notably the rights to life, health, personal security, and freedom of movement, in addition to the severe psychological impact on the population, particularly women, children, and the elderly.

Her Excellency commended the comprehensive measures taken by the competent authorities of the GCC countries to protect lives, ensure the continued operation of vital facilities and institutions, and guarantee public access to essential services.

She emphasized the importance of the meeting in consolidating a human rights-based approach, coordinating human rights positions, and working to unify monitoring, documentation, and reporting mechanisms according to a shared methodology that ensures data accuracy and effective international action.

This, she noted, contributes to achieving justice for victims and preventing impunity for perpetrators.

She welcomed the efforts of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (ANHRI) and its support for the outcomes of its General Assembly's emergency meeting.

She reiterated her welcome of the UN Security Council's condemnation of the Iranian military attacks as a blatant act of aggression and a flagrant violation of international law, based on their unjustified infringement upon the national sovereignty of the GCC countries.

Al Attiyah stated that the repercussions of this aggression will negatively impact human rights worldwide and exacerbate the suffering of the most vulnerable groups, including refugees, internally displaced persons, and victims of armed conflict due to the threat to global food security resulting from the deliberate targeting of energy sources and the disruption of supply chains caused by restrictions on air and sea navigation, in addition to the potentially severe environmental damage and the obstruction of sustainable development.

She added that these repercussions necessitate a more serious and decisive international response commensurate with the gravity of the current challenges and the severity of the potential consequences. She commended the efforts of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the mandate holders of the Special Procedures.

She stressed the need to convene an extraordinary session of the Human Rights Council to discuss the implications of the military attacks on the Gulf states for the global human rights system and to issue clear recommendations to end the aggression and activate international accountability mechanisms as a guarantee against recurrence.

She affirmed that the historical responsibility placed on the shoulders of human rights institutions in the GCC States at this exceptional stage requires moving from the realm of description to formulating effective response measures, through the adoption of a joint Gulf mechanism to monitor, document, and report on violations, and to intensify efforts to communicate with United Nations mechanisms and relevant international institutions and organizations, in order to ensure that the suffering of victims is placed at the forefront of the international human rights agenda. 

For his part, HE Assistant Secretary-General for Legislative and Legal Affairs at the General Secretariat of the GCC Consultant Sultan bin Nasser Al Suwaidi said the region is going through a highly sensitive and dangerous phase in light of the Iranian attacks that GCC states have been subjected to since February 28, noting that these attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, particularly with regard to respect for the sovereignty of states and the integrity of their territories.

He added that the statement issued by the GCC Ministerial Council at its extraordinary meeting No. 50, held on March 1, came to unequivocally affirm Gulf unity and full solidarity among GCC states, welcoming the resolution issued by the UN Security Council condemning Iranian military operations against GCC countries.

For her part, HE President of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Hala Al Tuwaijri stressed that the meeting represents an initiative stemming from an awareness of the magnitude of the challenges facing our region and their potential repercussions, as well as the need to strengthen joint Gulf action in the field of human rights.

She added that Iranian attacks on civilian objects, airports, and oil facilities represent a flagrant violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The rules of international law cannot be circumvented, including Article 51 of the UN Charter, which grants states the right to self-defense in the event of aggression.

She pointed out that the attacks have harmed civilians, civilian objects, infrastructure, and supply chains, noting the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2817 and the broad international support it received.

Meanwhile, HE United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, expressed regret over the exposure of Gulf states to what she described as an unlawful war from the perspective of international law.

She stated that they see many destructive policies that disregard the rule of law and the principles outlined in the UN Charter and the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the global context, adding that these are treated as an inconvenience, ignored in a way that violates international law, escalating matters and causing breaches.

The meeting, in its outcomes, read by HE Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, announced the establishment of a Gulf mechanism for monitoring, documentation, and reporting.

This mechanism will undertake joint monitoring and documentation tasks, open channels of communication and follow-up with relevant regional and international institutions, and advocate before regional and international mechanisms, bodies, and institutions according to a unified methodology, with the aim of exposing violations, achieving effective redress for victims of aggression, and ensuring that perpetrators do not escape accountability.

The outcomes also included the establishment of a Gulf electronic platform to exchange information, experiences, expertise, and best practices in the fields of monitoring and documentation, receiving and processing complaints, and raising awareness and education on the provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in addition to working on the preparation of a code of guiding principles for human rights response in situations of armed conflict and exceptional emergencies.

The outcomes affirmed support for the efforts of the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (ANNHRI) and commitment to implementing the recommendations of its emergency General Assembly meeting held on March 16.

They also stressed intensifying joint efforts and endeavors to urge UN bodies and mechanisms to take urgent action to end the attacks, push for convening a special session of the Human Rights Council to discuss the aggression against GCC states and its implications for the human rights situation, and ensure the activation of international criminal accountability pathways against those involved in serious crimes and violations.

The outcomes included a call on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, treaty bodies, and special procedures to pay attention to monitoring and documenting the effects of the aggression on vital civilian facilities and energy sources, and the resulting serious human rights violations, as well as keeping the emergency meeting of national human rights institutions in GCC states in continuous session to follow up on developments in the field.

They also included advancing efforts to establish a permanent network of national human rights institutions in GCC states as an inclusive institutional framework to enhance joint coordination and unify positions in regional and international forums, ensuring the sustainability of Gulf human rights work and the development of its mechanisms, and recommending the establishment of an independent permanent human rights committee within the framework of the GCC. (QNA)