Qatar hosts a conference on human rights

Qatar has announced it will host the 12th annual workshop on regional cooperation to strengthen and protect human rights in Asia and the Indian Ocean which will start March 2nd.

The director of human rights office at the Qatari foreign ministry, Sheikh Khaled Bin Jasem al-Thani, said in a press conference yesterday that the " workshop which will be held for the first time in the Arab Gulf region will discuss means of strengthening the protection of human rights and drawing plans to ensure preserving these rights and boosting them."

He added that the 12th workshop will review the progress which took place since the Islam Abad workshop in February 2003 in order to assess national and regional initiatives," noting that the commissioner of Human rights will inaugurate the workshop which will last for three days.

He added that concentration will be continued to be on national work plans to enhance and protect human rights and strengthen the right to development and economic, social and cultural rights. This workshop is organized annually under the supervision of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the UN. Each session is hosted one of the Asian and Indian Ocean states with the participation of some 100 figures of the representatives of governments, international organizations and non- governmental organizations in addition to several experts.