Fifth international human rights workshop opens in Rabat

The fifth international three-day workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights opens in Rabat Thursday under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI.

The event --staged by the Moroccan human rights advisory council, celebrating its 10th anniversary, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights-- gathers 250 officials and experts coming from several countries.

Participants assess a decade of international cooperation for the promotion and protection of human rights since the first meeting in October 1991 in Paris.

Balance-sheets of national institutions and prospects for multi-lateral cooperation will be drafted for Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Major topics to be discussed include "Human rights and culture," "Culture and children's rights," "National institutions and fight against racism" and "The universal human rights declaration as a moral horizon for mankind."

The closing session will be attended by Mary Robinson, UN high commissioner for human rights and secretary of the World Conference on Racism.