Geneva – 13 September 2024
The GCC countries affirmed their firm commitment to eliminating contemporary forms of slavery, and acknowledged that forced or compulsory labour may amount to contemporary forms of slavery, and that they are fully committed to suppressing these practices based on the provisions of the Forced Labour Convention of 1930 (No. 29) and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention of 1957 (No. 105), to which all GCC member states have acceded.
This came in the statement delivered by Her Excellency Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in her capacity as Chair of the Gulf Group, during the interactive dialogue on the report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, within the framework of the fifty-seventh session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The GCC countries also affirmed that their national guarantees are consistent with these commitments and that they are designed to ensure full compliance with international obligations. They reaffirmed in this regard that the effective implementation of these international principles must take into account the legal, economic and cultural contexts specific to each country, ensuring that the desired objectives are achieved while respecting national circumstances and capabilities.
The GCC states said that, while they are convinced that discussions of labour issues traditionally take place in specialised forums, they remain committed to discussing their intersection with human rights and reaffirm their full commitment to protecting the rights of all individuals, including detainees, and continue to strengthen national legal frameworks to reflect this commitment.
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