Associate Professor Nazila Ghanea (OxHRH Associate Director) was in Qatar and Kuwait from 18 to 24 January 2014 along with Dr Başak Çali of Koç University, pursuing research regarding the domestic effect of UN treaty ratification in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates). This 2 year, Qatar Foundation-funded research is the first time its National Priorities Research Fund has funded research in the field of international human rights law.

Having hosted governmental and non-governmental workshops to address key questions regarding UN human rights treaty ratification last May, this field research further examined the manner in which lawyers and courts address rights questions post-ratification. Interviews were carried out with 22 relevant persons from civil society, government ministries, lawyers and academics in Kuwait and Qatar.