Algérie Presse Service (APS) - October 10, 2012

ALGIERS - Representatives of national human rights institutions underscored yesterday at a conference convened in Algiers the need to involve Arab citizens in political decisions, namely in countries undergoing "radical changes."

Delegates attending the 7th conference on Arab-European Dialogue on Human Rights, whose proceedings started yesterday, declared that involvement of citizens in political and economic decisions made in their countries is among human rights enshrining participation in establishing the rule of law and democracy.

The executive deputy director and head of international affairs at the Danish Institute for Human Rights said that public involvement is a right whose achievement supports other human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly and circulation of persons and information."

Mr. Moussa Brizate, general delegate representing the Jordanian National Center for Human Rights and president of the Coordinating Commission of Human Rights National Institutions, declared that international standards for enforcement of human rights are not necessarily standards that best apply to Arab countries and wondered about limitations to be set for freedom of expression.

The three-day conference includes delegates from ten countries, including Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Mauritania, Greece, Denmark, Germany and Norway.

Convened under the theme of "Citizen Involvement and Role of National Human Rights Institutions," this conference is the 7th meeting held since 2007. Previous conferences met in Jordan, Denmark, Morocco, the Netherlands, Qatar, and Germany.

Tomorrow, the conference's agenda calls for discussions of the "role of Arab-European dialogue on human rights in revitalizing human rights national institutions with a view to facilitate citizen involvement in the promotion, protection, and control of human rights."

Delegates will also discuss the influence of modern media and the internet on public/citizen involvement and the contribution of national human rights institutions in facilitating access to the means needed to achieve that.

Finally, delegates will adopt a code of conduct on the agenda of Arab-European dialogue on human rights before ending their proceedings, which will be followed by a press conference.