A/HRC/13/44 During the first session dedicated to the culture of elections and human rights in the Arab world, Dr. Waleed Abdul Haai, of NCHRJ, spoke of the effects of culture on the conduct of elections and protection of human rights during elections. He mentioned nationality laws and laws regulating the representation and voting rights of women as issues of concern that influence elections in the Arab world. The second presenter, Mr. Michel Paternotre of the Democracy Reporting International (DRI), reminded the participants of the international and regional standards, underlying in particular the importance of, inter alia, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as well as a number of so-called soft law documents, such as various statements and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which jointly prescribe in some detail the requirements necessary for the establishment of fair, free, transparent and democratic elections. The ensuing debate revolved around the issue of culture as one of the determinants that shape the law, politics and consequently elections in the Arab-speaking world. The second and the third sessions were dedicated to the fairness, transparency, and integrity of elections as a requirement for good governance and respect of human rights. Following Dr. Ali al-Sawi’s presentation on legal guarantees for the protection of human rights during elections, Mr. Mohammad Ojar, of the Human Rights Advisory Council in Morocco, and H.E. Ms. Asma Khader of the NCHRJ, reflected on the linkages between elections and good governance, while noting the importance of the equality of inclusion and participation of women in the process of elections. Ms. Khader reiterated that democracy cannot exist without the participation and inclusion of women who, in some countries, constitute over 50 per cent of the overall population. In her presentation, she underlined the low percentages of women’s participation in high government positions in the Arab world. The last session of the first day was dedicated to the review of standards for monitoring and evaluating elections, and the two speakers, Mr. Michel Paternotre of DRI and Mr. Jonathan Stonestreet of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) shared their experiences in international elections monitoring the purpose of which is to assist the countries to identify gaps and areas in need of improvement. The second day was entirely devoted to the work of NHRIs and their roles in times of elections, exploring, in particular, the necessity for establishing partnerships with the civil society organizations and the strengthening of democratic culture before, during and after the elections. The second day thus commenced with discussion on ways to strengthen relationships and partnerships with non-governmental sector. The speakers, Dr. Hussam Badrawi of the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt and Mr. Oraiab al-Rantawi of Al-Quds Research Center. Jordan, discussed the role of NHRIs as an intermediary and link between the civil society and the government and their ability to support the advancement of the civil society sector by promoting human rights culture, raising awareness on the necessity for elections monitoring and engaging in education and training activities on elections monitoring for civil society organizations. Mr. al-Rantawi noted that the role of NHRIs starts with the law on elections and the need to ensure that electoral laws conform to international standards. During the sixth session dedicated to the role of NHRIs prior, during and after elections, the representatives of NHRIs of Morocco, the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Jordan shared their experiences pertaining to the engagement of their respective NHRIs in elections advocacy, monitoring and follow-up. Mr. Abderrazak Rouwane of Morocco described in some detail the organization and engagement of the Human Rights Advisory GE.10-10269 27