Khartoum: The National Human Rights Mechanism has begun a tour of Sudan's states as part of preparations for state-level workshops. A delegation headed by Rapporteur and Director of the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Directorate Yasser Sayed Ahmed Al-Hassan began the visits in Al-Gezira State to assess its preparations for the national report.
According to Sudan News Agency, upon arrival in Al-Gezira State, the delegation held a meeting attended by the State Government Secretary-General and relevant authorities. Yasser Sayed Ahmed briefed participants on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the national report and the state's responsibility for implementing relevant recommendations.
The meeting also reviewed Al-Gezira State's preparations. General Counsel Rehab Awad Al-Karim, coordinator of the state's report-preparation committee, presented a detailed briefing, noting that the first workshop would be an orientation meeting for members of the committee formed by the Government Secretary-General to prepare the report.
General Counsel Khadija Al-Fadil, Head of the Reports Section at the Human Rights Directorate and Rapporteur of the Committee for Preparing Sudan's Fourth National Report, said the state-level workshops aim to ensure that all Sudanese states contribute to implementing the recommendations of the third-cycle Universal Periodic Review and incorporating them into the fourth national report. She said the first workshop would be held next Sunday.
First Counsel Buthaina Mohamed Al-Tayeb Al-Tom, Rapporteur of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, said the recommendations made to Sudan under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism included a significant number of recommendations on combating human trafficking that Sudan is required to work toward implementing.
General Counsel Dr. Hoaida Othman Abdel-Razek, a member of the committee responsible for drafting Sudan's five-year National Human Rights Strategy, highlighted the importance of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review as one of the key components of Sudan's five-year human rights strategy.