Gulf Daily News – Vol XXVIII – NO. 238 – Sunday 13 November 2005
A HUMAN rights movement yesterday urged that Forum for the Future recommendations be closely followed up.
The message was conveyed by the Human Rights Dialogue, which was formed in Doha last week.
Dialogue president Egyptian Mohyeealdeen Hassan said that NGOs were being brought to the forum, without them being able to express themselves freely, because it was their governments who were running the show.
“There are negative and positive things in the Arab world, but who is there to follow them up?” he asked.
Gulf Daily News – Vol XXVIII – NO. 238 – Sunday 13 November 2005
A HUMAN rights movement yesterday urged that Forum for the Future recommendations be closely followed up.
The message was conveyed by the Human Rights Dialogue, which was formed in Doha last week.
Dialogue president Egyptian Mohyeealdeen Hassan said that NGOs were being brought to the forum, without them being able to express themselves freely, because it was their governments who were running the show.
“There are negative and positive things in the Arab world, but who is there to follow them up?” he asked.
“The forum is not a mechanism and this means whenever it ends, those taking part could either implement amendments to their systems or forget about the forum,” he said.
Mr Hassan said that he heard from sources at the meeting that participating countries have refused signing a declaration concerning NGOs status in their countries.
“Two G-8 countries, the US and the UK, supported a draft statement, while five Arab countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt and Tunisia welcomed signing of the declaration that gives NGOs more power and more freedom to work,” he said.
“The problem is that others refused it, preferring instead to continue in the Middle Age laws governing NGOs’ work.”
Mr Hassan said that the forum needed a permanent secretariat to ensure governments were working on changes.
“G-8 countries should follow up the forum, which I believe is a good structure that could be used more properly than it is now,” he said.