RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, under Custodian of the Holy Mosques King Salman’s leadership, is committed to the protection of human rights, which stem from adherence to the Islamic Shariah law, a top rights official said here on Monday.

Human Rights Commission Vice President Nasser bin Rajeh Al-Shahrani made this observation at the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child under the UN Human Rights program. A number of government agencies and civil society organizations participated in the event.

Al-Shahrani reiterated the Kingdom’s adherence to the principles which are in line with the country’s basic laws concerning protection of human rights. “King Salman is keen on providing personal care to children because they are the future of the country and the real wealth,” he said.

He said collective efforts would build their future personalities and contribute in building their country and serving it.

According to him, the forum was one of the fruits of the memorandum of understanding signed by Saudi Arabia represented by the human rights body with the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Al-Shahrani said the Kingdom made giant strides in the area of child protection, whether by joining international conventions or through legislation for ratifying a number of protocols that ensure the protection and care of children.

He emphasized the need for the participation of governmental and private agencies in the dissemination of human rights culture and exchange of views on best practices in the application.

Shoura member Ahmed Al-Mufreh presided over the first session. Ibrahim Al-Shiddi, member of the UN Advisory Committee, presented a paper on Optional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights.