Okaz/Saudi Gazette

RIYADH — A training program titled “My humanity is my identity” for young men and women leaders as part of developing and strengthening civil society initiatives in the field of human rights concluded here.

The virtual program, which witnessed the interaction of young men and women leaders undertaking many initiatives, was organized by the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Addressing the event, Roueida El Hage, regional representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Arab region, said that the Office of the High Commissioner appreciates the cooperation with the Kingdom through HRC.

“We look forward to the continuation of this cooperation in order to protect and promote human rights. The Kingdom has consistently strengthened the role of civil society organizations in human rights through joint cooperation to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, to move toward creating sustainable development,” she said while noting that the Saudi civil society organizations have participated in several activities aimed at protecting human rights.

For her part, Amal Al-Muallami, the director-general of organizations and international cooperation at HRC, said that this program is the peak of fruitful cooperation between the commission and the High Commissioner through which many specialized workshops and training programs have been conducted. “The diverse activities covered most areas, including issues of health, environment, childhood and people with disabilities, in addition to various other aspects,” she added.

The concluding sessions of the program witnessed the interaction of the male and female participants with the presentation of many human rights initiatives, the first of which was entitled “The difference is not a dispute,” which aimed to combat and eliminate racial discrimination by working to respect religious and cultural differences. The second initiative, titled “Your Safety” sought to preserve the rights of the child by promoting protection and awareness of cybersecurity and reducing risks faced by children.”

The third initiative, titled “Your help will help Saudi Arabia,” was aimed at developing the role of youth in working on sustainable development goals based on safeguarding human rights and empowering women and spreading this culture in the Kingdom. The fourth initiative with the theme of “Our environment is our responsibility,” focused on the efforts of young people to work to reduce the use of plastic and create a more sustainable and safe environment for future generations.

The program was keen on assisting the participants in designing specific voluntary human rights activities and initiatives and transforming the ideas and information that they have gained into realistic practices in awareness and education in the field of human rights.