The UAE’s National Human Rights Institute will be accessible to all members of the community, its chairman said on Thursday.
Maqsoud Kruse said it would investigate human rights complaints from the public and publish the findings.
Mr Kruse said six committees have been established to begin the institute's work and over the next 100 days, key developments in the organisation’s make-up will occur, with portals put in place for people to access its services.
Speaking at the institute's first media briefing, Mr Kruse said the organisation would work with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Wherever there are humans, there are rights
Maqsoud Kruse,
Chairman of the National Human Rights Institute
“We want to ensure every single member of the community has access to the institute to share grievances or … follow up on requests,” said Mr Kruse, who previously worked with Hedayah, an Abu Dhabi-based counter-extremism group.
“People’s grievances come first. Did those who complain feel their cases are being dealt with? This is a marathon, not a quick win or because we want to make some sort of statement. We take this very seriously,” he told the briefing.
President Sheikh Khalifa established the federal body last August with the aim of ensuring national laws are aligned with international treaties and conventions on human rights to which the UAE is a signatory. It will also track human rights breaches.
It will have its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The six committees that will guide the institute's work include those on civil and political rights; economic, social, cultural and environmental rights; complaints, monitoring and field visits; international relations and non-governmental organisations; enhancement of culture of human rights; and legal and legislative affairs.
Mr Kruse gave a preliminary example of how the institute might assess an issue.
If a complaint is logged, a committee then conducts an independent review, with the possibility of sending field teams to analyse the situation. The institute would have the legal power to conduct an independent review and then offer recommendations.
“[We are] open to work with [entities such as] Human Rights Watch and Amnesty and others. Our main partner we hope to work with is the UN Commission on Human Rights.”
Mr Kruse said that transparency was crucial and that the institute’s reports will be sent to Sheikh Khalifa, the Prime Minister’s Office and the head of the Federal National Council.
The reports will detail complaints and how the institute addressed them, and they will also be available publicly in both Arabic and English.
“We will verify media reports and conduct our own independent investigations and review to determine the status of a situation. For every file we look at, we will publish findings.”
Responding to a question about reports about the UAE from abroad, Mr Kruse said the institute had a “duty and responsibility” to look into all kinds of claims and allegations.
He also underlined the institute was not afraid of any case and would take on all issues spanning any subject.
“Our work is limitless. We have just started,” said Mr Kruse. “All matters of discussion are open on the table. Wherever there are humans, there are rights.”
Mr Kruse previously said bolstering human rights and equality regardless of national status has long been a cause close to his own heart, due in part to his being raised by a German father and an Emirati mother.
“Whether you are a citizen or a resident, we are all equal before the law,” he told state news agency Wam.
“All matters of human rights boil down to a simple notion: human dignity.”
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6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
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Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
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Six large-scale objects on show
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- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Match info:
Manchester City 2
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Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
