A/HRC/11/23 Page 15 82. The National Commission for human rights is in charge of harmonizing laws with international treaties and has to review about 6,000 laws and regulations. Saudi Arabia has a clear position on capital punishment, which is considered deterrent in Islamic chari’a. It’s not simple to impose it. The State offers council to the accused and covers the costs of attorneys. 83. King Abdul Aziz Centre for national dialogue, established in 2003, is a unique experience as a reflection of the political and public will for participation of all sectors of the society in a manner leading to justice, equality and freedom of expression, within the framework of the Islamic religion. This national dialogue, marked by the transparent and open participation by citizens, dealt with all national issues, social, cultural, political and educational. National meetings are considered an important place where all sectors of society, including women, religious minorities and youth can voice concerns over national matters, means for reform and development of the Saudi society. All sectors of the society are represented in this dialogue, especially women who constituted half of the participants, owing to the vital role they play at all levels. 84. The delegation stated that the Centre organized seven national meetings in the various regions of the kingdom to discuss pivotal issues including national unity, empowerment of women, how to view other cultures and civilizations, youth issues, problems, aspirations and education. At the end of each meeting, participants meet with his Majesty the King to listen to their proposals and suggestions. A copy of the recommendations adopted is given to His Majesty. The Centre has also a training course aiming at building a culture of dialogue among the various sectors of society and promoting principles like tolerance and acceptance of the others. The course has benefited to more that 80,000 men and women. Other training programs target the family and aim at encouraging dialogue within the family in order to face problems such as domestic violence. 85. Saudi Arabia has made great strides in order to implement quickly comprehensive developments in the judiciary reform. In the past decade, reforms have intensified and the new criminal procedure code and a law on lawyers were enacted in 2001. In 2005, a Royal decree was issued to completely revise the judiciary system, followed by a new law was enacted in 2007. The Ombudsman’s Office and 2 billion dollars were used to fund it. A new national plan was launched three weeks ago to reform the whole judicial system. The delegation mentioned that there are three important steps being finalized: the first is related to sentences. In this regard, a high level commission was set up in order to elaborate a code of sentences that would be referred to by all judges and would ensure that crimes and punishments are consistent in similar situations. The second aims at expanding the training of judges in accordance with the new project to improve the judiciary. The third is to establish a national commission for lawyers. 86. Saudi Arabia implements a cooperative system of health insurance for non Saudis in order to guarantee comprehensive health services for all. The Ministry of health has provided insurance to over 6 million residents, and providing insurance to remaining domestic workers is underway. Communities in urban and rural areas benefit from health services and over 2,000 health centres exist in all regions. The delegation said that achievements by Saudi Arabia in the field of health include: obligatory health check up at marriage and provision of free health services to all pilgrims. It indicated that Saudi Arabia is free of polio, that training services are provided to health personnel, and that special units to protect children from family violence have been set up.