A/HRC/44/44/Add.2 to form a general committee from among them called "the general committee for workers of the profession or industry". The general committees of workers of different professions and industries among themselves form a general union called the “General Federation of Qatar Workers”. Membership in the aforementioned committees and the General Federation of Qatar Workers shall be restricted to Qataris. The Minister shall determine the conditions and procedures for forming the aforementioned labor organizations and their membership and work system, and similar or interrelated professions or industries. " Law No. (12) of 2004 regarding private societies and institutions regulates the right of natural or legal persons to participate in the establishment of an association aimed at organizing a human, social, cultural, scientific, professional or charitable activity, provided that it is not intended to achieve financial profit or to get engaged in political matters. The law stipulates that for the establishment of the association at least twenty Qataris submit an application for the formation of such association to the administrative authority, provided that they have reached the age of eighteen, with a fee estimated to be one thousand Qatari riyals for the charity association, fifty thousand for the professional association, in addition to ten thousand riyals annually for the renewal of the license. The condition of the nationality of the founders and their number may be excluded by a decision to be issued by the Council of Ministers "when necessary, according to the requirements of the public interest, and upon the proposal of the Minister." One of the conditions for establishing associations is that the founders provide proof that they have a contract for the association’s headquarters or a declaration that they will provide a headquarters for it, in case it is established. In the State of Qatar, there are a number of private institutions of public interest for the promotion and protection of human rights, including, but not limited to the following: (a) The National Human Rights Committee, established in 2002 as an independent national institution for the protection and promotion of human rights. (b) The Qatar Foundation for Social Work, which was established in 2013, as a higher institution that, through a unified board of directors, oversees and monitors institutions and centers specialized in social work in the country which seeks to promote human rights by protecting and raising awareness of the rights of the target groups through each of these centers. The Foundation also specializes in preparing and developing the plans, programs, policies and strategies necessary to achieve the goals of civil society institutions and follow up their implementation, in cooperation and coordination with ministries, government agencies, public and private bodies and institutions at home and abroad. These centers are concerned with protecting the rights of the groups shown below: ▪ Protection and Social Rehabilitation Center, which is concerned with protecting the rights of abused women and children or those being vulnerable to domestic violence and family rift (Aman). ▪ Family Counseling Center, which is concerned with family affairs. (Wifaq) ▪ Orphan Care Center, which is concerned with protecting orphan children and children of unknown parents. (Dreama) ▪ Center for Empowerment and Elderly Care. (Ehsan) ▪ Shafallah Center for Persons with Disabilities. (Shafallah) ▪ (Nam’a) Social Development Center, which is concerned with empowering youth. ▪ Best Buddies Initiative (Qatar), with the aim of ensuring the participation of persons with disabilities in public life. ▪ Al-Noor Center for the Blind, with the aim of providing exemplary services to target groups and their inclusion in society. (Al-Noor) • Silatech Foundation, established in 2008, which aims to provide job opportunities for Arab youth. The Foundation has programs in 16 Arab countries, namely, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and the Comoros. 3