NHRI aspires to meet expectations of UAE citizens, residents

The UAE's National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) will work very closely with its international counterparts, including the United Nations.

That's according to the entity's newly-appointed Chairperson Maqsoud Kruse, who said it will release annual reports outlining the status of human rights in the country.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Kruse added that the main objective is to make sure that everyone in the UAE can actually enjoy their presence in the country and be aware that their rights have been preserved.

"Whether you are a citizen or a resident, we are all equal before the law," he explained, stressing that it is important to work together and collaborate to develop the notion of human rights at all levels.

The NHRI focuses on all aspects of human rights in the UAE, including the rights of women, children, people of determination, and workers, among others.

Kruse, who is from a multi-cultural family with his father being German and his mother Emirati, emphasised that the establishment of the NHRI is very personal to him.

With his mother belonging to the first generation of policewomen in the history of the UAE, "it makes it so important to me because I realise how the potential of this country can actually make the difference," he said.

"But it also makes me understand the type of challenges and concerns that all people in the UAE may have, but most importantly what are the opportunities that we can provide and how we can continue to enhance human rights in the country," he added.

Kruse, who earned his Master’s degree in Organisational Psychology from the University of Melbourne in Australia and his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), explained that being a psychologist helped him understand the value of human behaviour and human cognition.

"What it means to be human at the core level, how your feelings or emotions actually matter, how we can make sure that your sense of wellbeing and your sense of existence and presence remain at the core of all the policies that the UAE is developing and endorsing," he said.

Working together as members of this society, in light of the UAE’s vision for the next fifty years, will help us enhance the concept of human rights, not just in theory, but in practice, he pointed out.