Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi has reiterated that the GCC states safeguard and guarantee all human rights, equally and without discrimination, in implementation of the Royal directives of Their Majesties and Highnesses the leaders of the Cooperation Council, and in agreement with the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), and other treaties and agreements to which the GCC states have acceded.
The statement was made by Albudaiwi on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is observed annually on March 21; this year’s theme is “The urgency of combatting racism and racial discrimination 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.
His Excellency affirmed that the GCC states are committed to eliminating all forms of racial discrimination, and criminalising it, in accordance with the legislation, procedures and measures adopted by the GCC states.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the world today is still suffering from racism, discrimination, hatred, and ensuing intolerance that has created challenges for the international community, be it governments, institutions, groups or individuals, which needs to find solutions to combat racism in all its forms and places.
Albudaiwi reaffirmed that the GCC countries have been working to spread and promote a culture of tolerance, respect for human rights, justice and equality, and rejection of racism, in implementation of the instructions of the tolerant Islamic Sharia, which prohibits all forms of discrimination.
He also recalled the GCC Human Rights Declaration, which was adopted on December 9, 2014, and which highlights the principle of equality and non-discrimination in more than one article.
The secretary general concluded his statement by stressing the need to unite efforts aimed at building and developing societies, and promote a culture of tolerance, moderation, and acceptance of others, emphasizing the principle of peaceful coexistence to which the GCC states adhere and calling on the international community to condemn the discourses that promote racial superiority or hatred, or incite racism and discrimination
Source: Saudi Press Agency
