Cairo, 20 Sept. 2025

In a significant diplomatic engagement, a high-level delegation from the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, led by its President H.E. Samar Al-Hajj Hassan, held a meeting with H.E. Dr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, at the League's headquarters in Cairo. The delegation included prominent figures such as H.E. Maryam bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Chairperson of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), and other heads of national human rights institutions from Egypt, Palestine, and the network's Secretary-General.

During the meeting, H.E. Al-Attiyah presented a comprehensive overview of the grave human rights situation following the recent Israeli aggression on Qatar. She elaborated on the severe violations resulting from attacks that targeted a densely populated civilian area, explicitly noting the presence of schools, nurseries, and the residences of multiple diplomatic missions within the strike zone. She characterized the offensive as a flagrant breach of international law, specifically citing violations of rules protecting civilians and international human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Chairperson Al-Attiyah detailed the devastating humanitarian impact, reporting that the attacks had caused severe material damage and profound psychological trauma among civilians, particularly women and children, transforming residential neighborhoods into zones of fear. She underscored the imminent risk of a larger-scale catastrophe due to the bombing's proximity to a fuel station, which put the lives of diplomats, families, and children at direct risk.

In response to these events, Al-Attiyah outlined the NHRC’s swift actions, which included launching an urgent international mobilization campaign. She reported that the committee had immediately dispatched formal communications to a wide array of international bodies, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the President of the UN Human Rights Council, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, and major organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Central to her address was a direct appeal to the Arab League’s General Secretariat. She called for its robust support in several key areas: backing the NHRC’s regional and international efforts to document violations, amplifying the voices of victims, and endorsing the outcomes of the Arab Network’s emergency General Assembly recently convened in Doha. Furthermore, she stressed the indispensable role of the Arab League in advocating for accountability and justice, urging that the issue be placed on the agenda of the League’s Permanent Committee on Human Rights and that it support comprehensive reform of the UN system to end double standards and impunity.

In concluding the meeting, H.E. Al-Attiyah commended the supportive stance of the Arab League General Secretariat and the widespread Arab and Islamic solidarity demonstrated with the State of Qatar and the victims of the attacks.