Doha (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The first Arab conference on human rights will begin tomorrow, December 14. The summit is the result of a joint initiative of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) of Qatar and of the Arab League; the date selected is also intended to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights, celebrated last December 10.
The conference, scheduled at the Four Seasons hotel in Doha and lasting two days, will see the participation of the justice and human rights ministers of Arab countries, of the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, and of representatives of local and international institutions, associations, and organizations that deal with human rights.
Ali bin Simaikh al Merri, secretary general of the NHRC in Qatar, the country hosting the event, emphasizes the value "of the human rights of each individual," which must be "protected on the local, regional, and international level," and "in the Arab world in general." The conference is intended to promote "the Arab convention on human rights" recently ratified in Qatar, and "to discuss the strategies that the League intends to adopt in order to guarantee respect for human rights in Arab countries."
Over the course of the two days, there will be recognition of personalities in the Arab world who have distinguished themselves in the battle for human rights: these include Sheikha Ghalia bint Mohammed bin Hamad al Thani (in the photo), the health minister of Qatar, for the "work that she has done as a member of the UN committee for children's rights."
The Arab convention on human rights was promulgated in 1994, and reformed in 2001.