Consultative Working Group

The philosophy of establishing national human rights institutions in accordance with the "Paris Principles" issued by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. (48/134) in 1993, is based on them being the link between the government on the one hand, as the head of the executive apparatus of the state and primarily concerned with implementing laws, and responsible for promoting and protecting human rights in the national system on the other hand, and civil society institutions as independent national civil entities that express a common need of a group of individuals according to legitimate foundations, which necessitates that national institutions be the bridge linking the needs based on promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the official bodies concerned with implementing those rights and freedoms.

Article (12) of the NIHR’s establishment law No. (26) of 2014, amended by Decree-Law No. (20) of 2016, stipulates a number of the NIHR’s competencies, including cooperation with national bodies, regional and international organizations, and relevant institutions concerned with promoting and protecting human rights, in addition to holding joint meetings and events, and cooperation, coordination, and consultation with relevant civil society institutions, non-governmental organizations, and other diverse groups and human rights defenders.

The statutes included in the decisions establishing civil society institutions, each separately, stipulated the objectives for which these associations were established, and the means related to their implementation, which were in line with Resolution No. (4) of 2007 regarding the model bylaw for the statute of social and cultural associations and clubs subject to the supervision of the Ministry of Social Development, where common objectives were identified, represented by the importance of civil society institutions’ participation in everything that would contribute to the development of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of human rights, activating cooperation with governmental and non-governmental bodies and institutions, and coordinating with internal and external organizations and relevant parties in order to protect human rights, strengthen solidarity ties, spread awareness, culture and education on respecting human rights values, monitor any violation of human rights, and contribute to preparing cadres in various human rights fields with the aim of monitoring human conditions and various issues, through organizing seminars, lectures, exhibitions, audio-visual presentations, and issuing publications and periodicals on human rights, and cooperating and coordinating with associations interested in human rights, and organizing workshops and specialized courses on the principles and values of citizenship and human rights.

When activating collaborative work, it is important not to overlook the importance of the independence of all parties, whether the National Institution for Human Rights on the one hand, or civil society institutions working in the field of human rights on the other hand, which were established with separate mechanisms and decisions, and have independent legal entities that enable them to achieve their goals through the means agreed upon in their internal regulations.

The idea of establishing the consultative working group came from the importance of the National Institution providing support and assistance to activate the goals for which civil society institutions were established, and the conclusions of the consultative meetings and forums held by the institution in the past two years, which aimed to strengthen frameworks for cooperation between all parties and identify needs, and work to overcome the difficulties facing community work, and coordinate national efforts made in the field of human rights, without compromising the neutrality and independence of all parties.

Each party is free to implement what it deems appropriate from what is agreed upon by the group, stating the reasons in the event of non-implementation.

• Strengthening the spirit of cooperation and coordination for joint work.
• Searching for new and innovative ideas in the field of protecting and promoting human rights.
• Exchanging different viewpoints and benefiting from the experiences of others.
• Benefiting from the skills of associations in various topics such as training and disseminating knowledge.
• Building open lines of communication between members of the consultative group.
• Exchanging information, data and reports.
• Raising and building the capabilities of group members.
• Creating a database of documents, papers and information related to human rights.
• Involving members of the consultative group in reports prepared by the institution.
• Researching topics related to the human rights situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and finding the best ways to resolve complaints related to human rights violations.
• Holding joint events (whether for national, regional or international days, or to spread the culture of human rights in general, or organizing joint training programs on topics related to human rights) and within international human rights events.
• Encouraging community participation, by informing the institution of complaints received by civil society institutions, and monitoring cases carried out by it, and providing the institution with support and assistance in taking the necessary measures and following up with the relevant authorities, and informing the association of the results.
• Providing studies on national legislation and its compatibility with international human rights standards, and proposing appropriate amendments.
• Preparing questionnaires related to the public's knowledge of human rights principles and foundations.
• Enhancing cooperation and coordination to implement activities within the National Human Rights Plan for Human Rights (2022-2026).
• Supporting and encouraging students as well as academic studies in the field of human rights.
• Emphasizing human rights values in education.
• Expanding the base of parties participating in the team to include civil parties related to the nature of the team's work, such as women's associations, labour unions, and organizations interested in the environment, health, education, and others.
• Involving parties included in the team's membership in internal and external conferences, meetings, and meetings in which the institution is a party.
• Involving the team in field human rights visits, such as visiting correctional and rehabilitation centers and places of detention.
• Building the capacities of parties included in the team, not just representatives of the parties.

The National Institution for Human Rights calls for a periodic meeting of the Consultative Working Group every three months, and any member may request a meeting during this period to discuss any urgent issue.