Kuwait briefs on anti-torture policies
UNSC member commends Kuwait’s support for Iraq
GENEVA, July 26, (KUNA): Kuwait is committed to the UN Convention against Torture through the development of policies preventing all forms of maltreatment of human beings, said a Kuwaiti diplomat Tuesday.
Briefing a meeting for the members of the convention, Kuwait’s permanent delegate to the international organizations and UN headquarters in Geneva Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim said that Kuwait’s policies regarding efforts against torture were in line with international laws and norms.
Kuwait is keen on fulfilling its obligation against the spread of torture and inhumane acts, said the Kuwaiti diplomat, affirming that this attitude stemmed from his country’s utmost support for human rights.
Amongst the Gulf state’s efforts to combat torture were the establishment of the National Diwan for Human Rights and the Public AntiCorruption Authority (PACA) in 2015 and
Ambassador Al-Ghunaim
2016 respectively, considered as crucial steps towards developing human rights in Kuwait, noted Al-Ghunaim.
On the regional and international levels, Ambassador Al-Ghunaim said that the formation of a human rights bureau under the supervision of the Foreign Ministry was another indication of Kuwait’s strong commitment to anti-torture measures.
Laws within the Kuwaiti constitution pertaining to the protection of children, laborers, women, immigrants and other sectors of society all focused on upholding human rights values, said the Kuwaiti diplomat, adding that his country was revising and developing laws and legislations to further protect all individuals within the society.
Ambassador Al-Ghunaim affirmed that Kuwait will work with regional and international partners to prevent all acts of torture and other violations of human rights, stressing that the current briefing was in line with the State of Kuwait’s commitment to such causes.
The UN Convention against Torture was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1984.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s UN representative expressed gratitude to Kuwait’s support of Iraq, especially with its decision of postponing the remaining amount of compensation until 2018.
This was at an open meeting held at the Security Council where the 15-members decided unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) until July 31, 2017.
Emphasizing the importance of the stability and security of Iraq for the people of lraq, the region, and the international community, the Japanese-led Council adopted resolution 2299 deciding further that the Special Representative of the Secretary General and UNAMI, at the request of the Government of lraq, shall continue to pursue their mandate as stipulated in resolution 2233.
The resolution also recognized that security of UN personnel “is essential for UNAMI to carry out its work for the benefit of the people of lraq.” It further called upon the Iraqi Government to continue to provide security and logistical support to the United Nations presence in the country.
The 15-member body, welcomed the contributions of Member States in providing UNAMI with the financial, logistical, and security resources and support that it needs to fulfill its mission, and called upon Member States to continue to provide UNAMI with sufficient resources and support.