The head of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) has said that the Kingdom's human rights awareness program for which royal approval was announced last Sunday will be a four-year project beginning from next year. Bandar Al-Ayban said the HRC had been tasked with drawing up a broad policy for the promotion of a “culture of human rights” through training and education bodies and the media. Saleh Al-Khathlan, Vice Chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), said that government authorities such as the General Auditing Board and the Control and Investigation Board should lead the way in promoting transparency and accountability. “The absence of those principles affects respect for human rights in the Kingdom,” Al-Khathlan said. Al-Khathlan described King Abdullah's approval for the move as a “blessed step toward the country's adoption of human rights” and said that a greater number of human rights groups were needed to help the NSHR and the HRC carry out the program. Al-Khathlan said he expected the Cabinet to permit the creation of human rights societies to work within standards and regulations in all fields of life. – Okaz/SG On announcing King Abdullah's approval for the program last Sunday Al-Ayban said it was an “ideal opportunity to further link human rights to the overall work of the government”.
