The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and MATAR, the Qatar Airports Management and Operation Company, recently signed an expanded cooperation agreement under which the two parties will use their capabilities and expertise to promote and protect human rights within their respective powers.  

The agreement was signed by NHRC Chairman HE Maryam Bint Abdullah Al Attiyah and  by MATAR Chief Operations Officer Engineer Badr Mohammed Al Meer.

The areas of cooperation between the two parties include:

  • Spreading the culture of human rights
  • Promoting public awareness of human right principles and standards at Hamad International Airport (HIA)
  • Supporting capacity building
  • Sharing expertise in the field of human rights
  • Planning and implementing joint programmes and projects in the area of human rights promotion and protection
  • Organising conferences and training workshops and courses on relevant issues of common interest

The cooperation agreement stipulates the allocation of an office for the NHRC at HIA.

HE Maryam Bint Abdullah Al Attiyah said they consider the cooperation agreement to be a major agreement signed by the committee on a national level.

Airports are important international entry points that receive people from different cultures. It was therefore necessary to sign this agreement, an important part of which is to set up an NHRC office at HIA, reflecting our commitment to human rights at the airport.

The office will promote the human rights culture among arriving and departing passengers as well as among HIA staff. The agreement is a first-of-its kind initiative under which a term of reference on human rights issues is established at HIA, Qatar’s main entry point and one of the largest airports in the world.

Praising MATAR’s cooperation with NHRC, Al Attiyah added that the agreement was the culmination of the joint action with the company. He said they previously cooperated to promote the culture of human rights among HIA audience.

In 2019, the airport hosted the NHRC’s exhibition on human rights in Islamic culture on the occasion of the Human Rights Day. It again hosted the same exhibition and another human rights exhibition when Qatar was named as the capital of Islamic culture.

They also organised training sessions for HIA senior staff during the celebration of Qatari Human Rights Day in 2021. The new agreement formalises the cooperation, serving as part of both their annual strategies.

Engineer Al-Meer said they also are pleased to expand their partnership with NHRC. He said that the protection of human rights is a key pillar at HIA, where they strive to spread the culture of human rights and highlight its emphasis on humanitarian principles across all operations.

Enhancing and protecting human rights

MATAR manages and operates HIA. Both MATAR and the NHRC recognise the need for their close cooperation on issues of common interest, including the promotion and protection of human rights.

The agreement is in line with the legal nature of the NHRC as a national institution working based on the Paris Principles and aiming to enhance and protect human rights in Qatar pursuant to Decree-Law No (17) of 2010. The two parties will also organise awareness and art exhibitions at HIA and will have joint activities with human right bodies and international and regional organisations, train HIA employees on human right issues and carry out any other activities of common interest that they may agree upon in the future.

HIA_NHRC Signing 2


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