The Government of the Custodian the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, has given a significant concern as regards human rights and laid the foundations for the protection of these rights for the local and international communities, taking into account the privacy and respect of the teachings of religion. The Saudi Arabian efforts and contributions for the protection of human rights is highly appreciated by the concerned international bodies and institutions, and these efforts have been culminated into winning a membership at the UN First Human Rights Council in 2006. The efforts spring from the commitment to the application of the tolerant Islamic Shariah, which calls for all to preserve human life and dignity. To that end, several measures have been taken, including the provisions of Article 26 of the Basic Governing System, which emphasizes the Kingdom's commitment to the protection of human rights. Also, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified four key international treaties including the International Convention on the Elimination of Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1997 and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 2000, The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1996. In the same vein, Saudi Arabia ratified five International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions including C105 on abolition of forced Labour and C26 Minimum Wage-Fixing Machinery Convention, since the 1978. Equal Remuneration Convention C100 and C11 on right of association in 1978, Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention C182 and expressed reservations on some provisions that are contrary to the Islamic law. At the regional level, in 1990, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified "Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam" issued by the Islamic Countries' Conference of Foreign ministers and also ratified the Arab Charter of Human Rights adopted by the Arab Summit held in Tunisia in 2004. At the level of strengthening the mechanisms for the protection of human rights, the government approved the establishment of the first body to promote human rights in 2005 and began its works in 2006, and before that, the government approved the establishment of the National Assembly for Human Rights, whose membership comprises of 41 members including 10 women. --MORE
