DOHA, 20 February 2004 — Experts from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Yemen have recommended introducing the principle of human rights into their countries’ school curriculums.
A statement at the end of the five-day symposium here also recommended encouraging the authorities responsible in the (concerned) countries to put in place a national strategy to increase awareness of human rights.
The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The gathering was held under the auspices of the UN High Commission for Human Rights, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the UN children’s agency UNICEF.
Last month, a seminar on human rights in Qatar, the first of its kind in the Gulf state, urged Doha to do its utmost to “promote a human rights culture”. The seminar also called on authorities to designate “a religious authority well versed in human rights conventions and capable of responding to charges leveled against Islam” regarding rights violations.
