Priority to human rights

MUSCAT — The Sultanate will today join the international community in observing the World Human Rights Day will falls on December 10 every year. The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) said in a statement yesterday that event is of crucial importance in the history of mankind. The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

NCHR pointed out that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights charter consists of an introduction and 30 articles which place basic human freedoms in perspective and stress that these rights should be guaranteed for every human being without discrimination. A number of events will be held in the different parts of the world, including a ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York and a message by High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on the occasion. A performance of classical music, and the launch of the Arabic version of the UN Commission for Human Rights website will be among the events.

The human outreach activities are being planned by UN Information Centres and partners from civil society institutions, governmental and academic institutions in Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Brussels, Cairo, Canberra, Dakar, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Jakarta, Lagos, Lusaka, Mexico, Moscow, Nairobi, Ouagadougou, Port of Spain, Pretoria, Sana'a, Vienna, Yangon and Yerevan.

The efforts in the field of human rights culminated in the establishment of the National Commission for Human Rights, which reaffirms the country’s keenness to share global interest in human rights and the determination to shoulder the responsibility of protecting and enhancing the rights of individuals and the society. — ONA

(2012-12-9/omanobserver)