AMN / DUBAI
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, has rejected a report by the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen, and urged the Human Rights Council, HRC, to instead refocus on providing support to the Government of Yemen in building institutions to protect human rights in the country.
In a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, the Minister explained that “the Group’s mistakes and missteps in judgment and methodology are too numerous and too serious to ignore”, which is why the UAE, along with many other HRC members, decided not to support the renewal of the mandate of the Group of Experts last year.
Attached to the letter was a detailed assessment of the Group of Experts’ report published in 2018. The assessment finds that the Group in its report has both exceeded its mandate in a number of ways, while at the same time failing to fulfill important aspects of it.
A statement by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated that the Group did not apply the context of the conflict in Yemen to its monitoring and reporting functions, and its methodological approach was flawed. The Group also misinterpreted and misapplied international law, and presented incorrect claims against the UAE.
The Minister reiterated the UAE’s support for the High Commissioner’s mandate and her role in consistently working with member states and other stakeholders to address the human rights challenges around the world, including in Yemen.