Dr. Fatima Al-Kaabi, President of the Union Association for Human Rights (UAHR), delivered an oral statement during the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council under Agenda Item 8, which focuses on following up and evaluating the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. In her statement, she emphasized the importance of reviewing this declaration in light of modern technological changes, particularly the challenges posed by AI, and called for a comprehensive review that anticipates the future and protects the fundamental rights of future generations. She praised the UAE’s experience as a human-centered model in this regard.

Dr. Al-Kaabi began her statement by commending the efforts of the Human Rights Council in following up the implementation of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, emphasizing that the Declaration had played an essential role in supporting the right to development and promoting human rights for more than three decades.

However, she expressed regret over the limited progress in implementing the Declaration. She highlighted that international assessments indicate the outcomes have not met expectations and that the Declaration has been unable to adapt to the rapid transformations sweeping the world, particularly in the fields of technology and AI.

Dr. Al-Kaabi called for:

• A comprehensive and integrated review of the Declaration in line with modern challenges.
• Anticipating the impacts of AI on human rights.
• Benefiting from the humanitarian and advanced approaches of countries in this field, with special praise for the experience of the UAE, which she described as one of the region’s best models in integrating technology with human rights through a robust humanitarian approach.

Importance of the Statement:

• Reviving focus on the Vienna Declaration: The statement contributed to reviving the debate about the need to update the 1993 Vienna Declaration in line with contemporary technological developments, rather than being satisfied with a formula that no longer responds to the requirements of the stage.
• Introducing AI into the human rights agenda: The statement identified AI as a new pivotal issue in the field of human rights, requiring advanced human rights oversight and guidance tools.
• Highlighting the UAE’s experience in harmonizing technology and rights: Dr. Al-Kaabi presented the UAE as a model to be emulated in dealing with AI in a way that takes into account human rights and humanitarian dimensions and considerations.
• Encouraging the council to modernize its mechanisms and discourse: The statement sent a clear message to the Human Rights Council about the need to move away from stagnation and work to implement radical reforms in international human rights policies to keep pace with the future.