No. Voluntary pledges Implementation measures
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To consider the possibility of acceding to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The United Arab Emirates has acceded to the Convention under Federal Decree No. 73 of 2012.
and the State became a member of the Convention in 19 July 2012.
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To consider the possibility of acceding to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
After the promulgation of Federal Decree No. 116 of 2010 on the accession to the Convention was issued, the State became a member of the Convention in 19 March 2010.
3 Considering the possibility of acceding to the protocols of the
A committee of stakeholders was established in the UAE to consider the accession of the State to the Two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; the one on the sale of
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the Rights of the Child.
children, child prostitution and child pornography and the other on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The committee is working on creating a legal and legislative environment Protocol to prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.
Federal Decree No. 71 of 2008 on the accession to the protocol was issued and the instrument of accession was deposited. The State became a member of the Convention in 21 January 2009.
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To organize, in collaboration with specialized international organizations, workshops in the field of human rights to spread the principles of human rights in accordance with international treaties ratified by the State.
The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has organized in February 2009 a training workshop to increase knowledge among law enforcement officers and persons dealing with human trafficking issues.
The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has organized in 2010 the Third Annual Regional Workshop on “Promoting law enforcement and judicial cooperation on human trafficking among countries of origin, transit and destination in Central Asia”, with the active participation of 45 members from various quarters such as local and federal prosecutors, officials from shelters, the Ministry of Interior, Dubai Police and the Ministry of Labour, as well as representatives from different countries and from Interpol.
The Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, held a regional workshop on the human rights based approach in combating human trafficking in Abu Dhabi from 12 to 14 December 2011, during which was launched the book entitled “Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking,” which the UAE volunteered to translated it into Arabic.
The General Women’s Union held workshops and sessions on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and invited all relevant institutions, in addition to women’s associations, to participate in the
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sessions. The same General Women’s Union, in collaboration with the World Family Organization, also organized the 7th World Summit on Family from 5 to 7 December 2011 during which the following issues were discussed: Social protection measures for families, ways of avoiding domestic conflict and violence, examination of the various challenges faced by families in the light of the global economic crisis while seeking effective solutions and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The UAE represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, signed a joint memorandum of understanding to grant accreditation to the Diplomatic Institute in the UAE as a regional hub for training Arab diplomats in the field of international humanitarian law. Four sessions have been held within the framework of the training program in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.
The Supreme Council for Childhood and Motherhood and the General Women’s Union, in cooperation with international organizations concerned with women and children, including UNICEF, the United Nations Women, UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), has organized many sessions and workshops for the dissemination of human rights principles in accordance with the agreements to which the UAE is a party. The Supreme Council for Childhood and Motherhood also carried out a cooperation programme with the UNICEF Gulf Area Office for the periods 2008-2010 and 2011-2012.
The Ministry of Education contributed in 2010 with 9 specialized workshops on the promotion and dissemination of human rights culture.
The Ministry of Health has organized 20 awareness-raising lectures on women’s rights for the prevention of breast cancer in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the period 2008-2010.
The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking participated in a number of workshops in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Turkmenistan. Furthermore, the UAE adopted the Declaration on the Global Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly.
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The Community Development Authority conducted in 2010 a number of specialized seminars and workshops on the rights of women, children and workers.
As part of its duty to disseminate human rights culture, the Emirates Human Rights Association has organized 10 seminars in 2009 and 2010.
6 departments and ministries concerned with law enforcement, such as the Departments of Naturalization and Residency, the police and the Attorney General’s Office, has organized a series of training courses and workshops. One of the objectives of this program is to ensure that officials in charge of combating trafficking in persons in the country meet with international standards in their work. The Committee also encouraged many stakeholders in the various government departments and ministries to organize training programs of their own in order to acquire the necessary skills to better combat human trafficking crimes, especially that many ministries and departments became qualified for creating special sections to combat human trafficking crimes at both the local and federal level.
7 Human Rights. A detailed study on the project was carried out in consultation with the concerned national authorities to create a Commission in compliance with the Paris Principles which will be the official body to deal with all human rights issues in the country. To that effect, the Standing Committee for the Universal Periodic Review made field visits to a number of countries and to the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for Human Rights (ICC) to learn about best experiences and practices in this respect.
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To consider issuing regulations for the establishment of shelters for victims of human trafficking in the country.
The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking has prepared Draft Regulations on the Licensing and Management of Shelters for Victims of Human Trafficking. The release of the Draft Regulations is underway, and contains 25 articles which includes all procedures governing the establishment, licensing and management of shelters for victims of human trafficking, as well as other articles which identify the qualifying conditions to be entitled to the services provided by these shelters.
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To consider enacting a legislation extending the maximum age for completing compulsory education to the age of 18.
The Council of Ministers approved the promulgation of the Federal Law on Compulsory Education in the UAE from the age of 6 until either the age of 18 or graduation, whichever comes first and established specific mechanisms to ensure the implementation of compulsory education by imposing appropriate sanctions to prevent any breaches of the law in order to address the dropout issue in the education sector.