Saudi Ministry of Education to showcase innovations at 2025 Geneva International Exhibition    7,523 violators of residency, labor, and border security laws deported in a week    Video contradicts Israeli army account of deadly March 23 strike on Gaza paramedics    Saudi Arabia spends over $241 million to implement de-mining projects in 3 countries    Italy's Meloni government approves controversial security decree expanding police protections and penalties    Egypt submits new Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal: Report    'Everything is possible' — Ronaldo focused on titles, not 1,000-goal milestone after Riyadh Derby win    Saudi, US military leaders discuss enhanced defense cooperation in Riyadh    King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language launches program with Indiana University    Ronaldo brace powers Al Nassr past Al Hilal in Riyadh derby thriller    Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



OIC to set up independent human rights commission
By Habib Shaikh
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 05 - 2009

OIC engagement on human rights has been an ongoing process at the organization, according to Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which plans to establish an independent human rights commission.
Asked what prompted this almost unprecedented move, Ihsanoglu told Saudi Gazette in an online interview that the OIC adopted the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam in 1990.
“Accordingly, a working group established following the adoption of the declaration drafted some OIC covenants on human rights. The increasing international attention accorded to human rights in recent years and the diversity of these rights has underscored the importance of enhancing the content of this declaration aimed at harmonization with international standards,” he explained.
In a report on the State of Human Rights in the Arab Region in 2008, released in early December, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) said that the status of human rights in the Arab region had increasingly worsened. “Attacks on the limited public and political liberties that exist have escalated in most countries in the region,” it said.
The report noted that Lebanon and Egypt played a vital role in the birth of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and in the creation and promotion of mechanisms to protect human rights in the years that followed. “Yet these same mechanisms are currently being greatly undermined and slowly dismantled by the actions of Arab states,” it added.
The human rights record of many Muslim majority countries leaves much to be desired. However, in recent years several countries in the Muslim World have undergone democratic transitions. Within the Arab World, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar, and Jordan have been taking steps on the road to political liberalization and democracy.
Ihsanoglu said the prospective establishment of an OIC Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights “must be viewed as a landmark event and a positive development in the four-decades-long history of the organization.”
He stressed that human rights and man's dignity are an integral part of Islam and core components of Islamic culture and heritage. The human rights' chapter in the Program of Action emphasized the necessity to seriously endeavor to enlarge the scope of political participation, ensure equality, civil liberties and social justice to promote transparency and accountability in the OIC member states.
It is significant to note, Ihsanoglu pointed out, that promotion and protection of human rights including the rights of women, children, youth, the elderly, and people with special needs, as well as the preservation of the Islamic family values, have been enshrined in the OIC Charter. “It requires the member states to uphold and promote good governance, democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, at both the national and the international levels,” he said.


Clic here to read the story from its source.