A national Human Rights Authority is to be set up in Bahrain, said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna.

It will be an independent body which will monitor Bahrain's human rights practices, he said.

"It will have representatives from the government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and human rights groups," he told the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

"The authority will independently deal with and investigate complaints, if any, on human rights violations brought to its attention by both Bahrainis and expatriates," he said.

The proposed body is part of an action plan prepared by Bahrain and presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), said Dr Al Baharna.

He has just returned from Geneva, where the UNHRC formally endorsed a landmark report on Bahrain's performance.

Bahrain's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was presented by Dr Al Baharna.

Bahrain was among the first group of 16 countries selected to submit national reports on human rights.

The council reviewed Bahrain's report and adopted it after the country's presentation.

"This was the final seal of approval on the significant achievement made by Bahrain in the area of human rights," said Dr Al Baharna.

"The contents of the report helped Bahrain to get elected to the 47-member Human Rights Council, with 142 votes out of 192.

"Bahrain's efforts to ensure the protection and enhancement of human rights have already been commended at several forums, so we had no issues with answering any questions," he said.

The report, leading up to the UPR review, was prepared by the Foreign Ministry in consultation with NGOs.

Dr Al Baharna said nine recommendations presented by a group of three countries at the Geneva meeting were accepted by Bahrain.

"Some of them were already implemented by Bahrain. These included the passing of the Press law in Bahrain, another step in the direction of ensuring rights and freedom for all," he noted.

"Another recommendation was against forced marriages, which do not prevail in Bahrain. We made it clear that no marriage is valid according to Islamic Law if it is not accepted by the woman ," said Dr Al Baharna.

There was also a recommendation on independent judiciary, which is already prevalent in Bahrain according to the country's constitution, he said.

"On the recommendation on Family Law, we said it was up to the people to accept it.

"Talks are still under way and all laws in Bahrain will be implemented with people's full participation.

"Human rights is not like an electrical switch which can be implemented at the press of a button. It is a process and it is a participatory process," he said.

Dr Al Baharna said the action plan would be implemented over the coming four years, with the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), NGOs and all relevant agencies.

"A task force will be created to study and make proposals to government bodies on the ratification of human rights treaties and national legislation," he revealed.

"The task force will also monitor the implementation of treaty obligations and provide training for police and government staff.

"Capacity building is extremely important. Workshops and seminars on human rights will be organised to increase public awareness," said Dr Al Baharna.-TradeArabia News Service