Kuwaiti lawmakers seek OK of UNCHR for national human rights commission

GENEVA, May 8 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) welcomed on Thursday the draft proposal by the Kuwaiti parliament to establish a national human rights commission based on what is known as the Paris Principles.
A delegation of Kuwaiti lawmakers presented the draft proposal to the UNCHR, whose regional representative in the Middle East Dr. Abdul-Salam Ahmad told KUNA that the UN agency will work closely with Kuwaiti lawmakers to ensure that a prim-and-proper national commission is established in Kuwait.
The current chairman of the human rights committee in Kuwait's national assembly, Faisal Al-Duwaisan, told KUNA here that the delegation in charge of the proposal learned a few important aspects from the UNCHR that were missing in the proposal and that he and his colleagues were appreciative of the UN agency's help in that regard.
He said any tweaking by the UN agency's experts will be taken back home and studied thoroughly, noting that Kuwaiti lawmakers were keen on establishing their commission along the most recognized international standards espoused by the Paris Principles.
The Paris Principles were defined at the first International Workshop on National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Paris in 1991. They were adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1992, and by the UN General Assembly in 1993. The Paris Principles relate to the status and functioning of national institutions for the protection and promotion of human rights.
In addition to exchanging views on existing arrangements, the workshop participants drew up a comprehensive series of recommendations on the role, composition, status and functions of national human rights institutions. (end) ta.ajs