The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States emphasized the significant role played by the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights, which has been the intellectual force and effective arm of joint Arab human rights efforts over the decades.
This was stated by Minister Plenipotentiary Munir Al-Fasi, Director of Human Rights at the Arab League, during the 54th session of the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights, which commenced today at the General Secretariat’s headquarters, chaired by Ambassador Talal Al-Mutairi, the committee’s chairperson.
Al-Fasi mentioned that since the first session of the committee in 1968, the shared cause of Palestine has been a permanent agenda item. Despite escalating challenges and evolving situations, the efforts have remained persistent. He highlighted the recent opinion by the International Court of Justice issued on July 19 of this year, which stated that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is illegal, and Israel is obligated to end its unlawful presence as soon as possible, halt all new settlement activities, evacuate settlers from the Palestinian territories, and compensate for the damages caused.
He explained that the United Nations, especially the General Assembly which requested the opinion, and the Security Council should consider precise methods and additional measures to end this illegal presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian land promptly.
Al-Fasi emphasized that the Arab Permanent Committee for Human Rights continues its joint Arab human rights efforts, keeping up with all developments on various levels, and has established a major normative framework, the Arab Charter on Human Rights, along with strategies and plans for effective implementation. Currently, work is underway to draft an implementation plan for the extended second phase of the Arab Strategy for Human Rights.
He also noted that among today’s agenda items is artificial intelligence, with the rapid increase in its role in our daily lives both horizontally and vertically, highlighting the need for regional proactivity to ensure AI systems respect fundamental rights through accountability, transparency, and oversight.
