A/HRC/14/2
legislation punishing criminals includes international legal standards and, if the law is
equally implemented for national citizens and foreign migrants. It made recommendations
64.
Djibouti welcomed the fact that Qatar was planning to ratify the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and included in its Criminal Code the definition of
torture contained in article 1 of the Convention against Torture. It wanted to know the
sanctions envisaged to punish those responsible for acts of torture. Special attention should
also be paid to fighting human trafficking and providing support to victims, to ensure their
reintegration into society. Djibouti noted with satisfaction the amendment of the decree on
the national human rights institution, to bring it into line with the Paris Principles. Djibouti
made recommendations.
65.
Brunei Darussalam supported Qatar’s endeavours to develop and enrich the standard
of living of its people through health care, education and employment. It welcomed the
constructive dialogue with the international human rights mechanisms and its pledge to
draw international best practices into its relevant domestic policies and legislations. It
encouraged Qatar to continue its efforts to guarantee fundamental human rights and
freedoms as enshrined in its Constitution. It made recommendations.
66.
Azerbaijan welcomed the greater commitment to establishing a number of national
institutions to promote and protect human rights. Azerbaijan appreciated achievements in
ensuring high living standards, reducing maternal and infant mortality, ensuring freedom of
religion, and including human rights education in school curricula. Azerbaijan noted that
Qatar was on the verge of achieving the goal of primary education, and mentioned the
increasing cooperation of Qatar with OHCHR. Azerbaijan made recommendations.
67.
While welcoming Qatar’s accession to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women, Sweden indicated that domestic legislation still
discriminated against women and requested the delegation to elaborate further on the
measures taken to ensure women’s equal rights, including with regard to marriage and
divorce. Sweden also requested the delegation to elaborate on measures the Government
might be considering to ensure that no one was discriminated against, including on the
grounds of sexual orientation or identity, in line with the Yogyakarta principles. Sweden
made recommendations.
68.
Netherlands welcomed the cooperation with Special procedures and the challenges
to further boost the role of women in society. It referred to concerns regarding the
possibility for foreign employees to leave the country, to domestic violence affecting Qatari
and non-Qatari women and to women’s low representation at senior Government positions.
It made recommendations.
69.
Brazil noted that education was compulsory and free, thus contributing to a sharp
decrease in illiteracy rates. It highlighted that Qatar was about to achieve all Millennium
Development Goals prior to 2015, and had one of the highest standards of living in the
world. Brazil commended Qatar for its recent accession to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its efforts to guarantee
higher levels of education and more opportunities to women. However, Brazil expressed
concerns about alleged discrimination towards women, and the constraints on inheritance
rights on the basis of religion and discrimination towards non-citizens. It enquired whether
Qatar was considering the ratification of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967
Protocol thereto.
70.
Nepal noted that Qatar had an impressive record in attaining welfare and economic
development, which had helped to raise the quality of living and the life expectancy of its
people. It noted with satisfaction the establishment of a national human rights committee,
its accession to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It also
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