A/HRC/42/2 through cooperation with the human rights mechanisms and by benefiting technically from international expertise in this field. 2. General comments made by the national human rights institution of the State under review 857. The National Human Rights Committee affirmed that human rights violations resulting from the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar on 5 June 2017 remain ongoing. The Committee stated that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have taken unilateral and arbitrary measures against Qatar, including on Qatari citizens residing in the three Coperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf countries, as they had been requested to leave their within 14 days. According to the Committee, Qatari nationals have also been prevented from entering their territories. 858. The Committee called upon all delegations to review the report of the technical mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the State of Qatar, which took place in November 2017, on the impact of the Gulf crisis on human rights. According to the Committee, the report affirmed that the measures and restrictions imposed by the authorities of the blockading countries constitute collective punishment of the Qatari citizens and residents, as well as citizens of the blockading countries as well. The Committee referred to an alleged case of enforced disappearance of a Qatari national in Saudi Arabia, and another case relating to a Qatari citizen it claims has been arbitrarily detained. 859. In particular, the Committee indicated that Qatari nationals were prohibited from performing the religious rituals of "Hajj" and "Umrah" because the Government of Saudi Arabia has imposed obstacles, which render it impossible for Qatari nationals to perform the pilgrimage. 860. The Committee reiterated that Qatar ratified the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee emphasized the need to review the laws on civil and political rights to ensure conformity with international human rights standards, as well as legislation that would allow more space for civil society and freedom of opinion and expression. 861. The Committee called on the Government to expedite its adoption of the Persons with Disabilities Act and the Child Act, taking into account the observations made by the National Human Rights Committee on the bills and the need for these to comply with international human rights standards. 862. The Committee called for the strengthening of the role of women in decision-making positions, as women are provided with equal opportunity for employment and education. Finally, the Committee called on the Government to grant women the right to transmit their nationalities to their husbands and children. 3. Views expressed by Member and observer States of the Council on the outcome of the review 863. During the adoption of the outcome of the review of Qatar, 13 delegations made statements.** 864. The United Arab Emirates invited Qatar to give importance to the recommendations relating to its unlawful acts and terrorist acts. It called on Qatar to end reported hate speech in the media, and to allocate its assistance to meet the needs of the neediest. It stated that ** The statements of the delegations that were unable to deliver them owing to time constraints which were made available are posted on the extranet of the Human Rights Council, at https://extranet.ohchr.org/sites/hrc/HRCSessions/RegularSessions/42Session/Pages/default.aspx 126

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