NIHR Expands Civil Society Partnership Framework

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Manama: The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) has approved the creation of three new consultative working groups aimed at expanding structured engagement with civil society organisations and reinforcing partnership mechanisms across key human rights sectors.

 The move follows a series of dialogue and consultation sessions conducted with non-governmental organisations and community partners over the past two years, which highlighted the need for more permanent and specialised platforms for cooperation.

 According to the NIHR, the newly approved groups will address three priority areas: corporate responsibility and human rights practices, the protection and advancement of women’s and children’s rights, and issues related to access to health and healthcare services. The groups are designed to serve as coordination channels between non-government actors and relevant public authorities involved in human rights policies and implementation.

Chairman of the NIHR, Ali Ahmed Al Derazi, said the initiative is intended to translate dialogue with civil society into practical collaboration, help overcome operational challenges faced by non-government organisations, and contribute to building a more integrated national framework for human rights, while preserving the institution’s neutrality and independence.

He explained that the working groups will operate as professional platforms for sharing experience, information and research, as well as for developing proposals and initiatives that support the protection and promotion of human rights in the Kingdom.

Their mandates will also include supporting training and institutional capacity-building, monitoring and reviewing the national human rights situation, organising public awareness and specialised training activities, preparing legislative studies and recommendations, and conducting nationwide surveys to measure public understanding of human rights concepts and standards.

The NIHR indicated that the formation of the working groups represents a new phase in its engagement strategy with civil society partners, aimed at strengthening cooperation, improving policy dialogue and enhancing the effectiveness of national human rights programmes in Bahrain.