Jeddah, Nov 11: The UN Human Rights Council approved the adoption of a report on the third Universal Periodic Review of Saudi Arabia, after discussing it four days earlier. The UPR is a process under which UN member states have the opportunity to declare the actions they have taken to improve human rights and fulfil their human rights obligations.
The report by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review contained 258 recommendations for the Kingdom relating to various human rights issues.
Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, president of Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission, said they would be positively considered and studied by specialized committees and working groups, including governmental and non-governmental bodies in collaboration with civil society organizations.
One of the recommendations contained in the report is for an impartial and transparent investigation into the recent death in Turkey of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Al-Aiban said this is in line with King Salman’s directives to hold accountable all those involved and to review procedures and structures to prevent a sad and painful event from happening again.
Al-Aiban thanked the president of the Human Rights Council for his efforts to make the work of the council a success. He also thanked the Troika Group, comprising China, Tunisia and Belgium, and the Universal Periodic Review Secretariat for their work as part of the process for the Kingdom’s review.
He stressed Saudi Arabia’s keenness to cooperate with the council and its mechanisms and procedures, particularly the Universal Periodic Review, which is considered to greatly contribute to improving human rights around the world through a constructive framework based on equality, cooperation and understanding of the cultural diversity of countries and societies, enriching the deliberations of the council.
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