The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued the following statement today:
Geneva, 24 January 2008– In this celebratory year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I welcome the 7th ratification required to bring the Arab Charter on Human Rights into force.
All States have ratified at least one, and 80% of States have ratified four or more, of the core international human rights treaties giving concrete expression to the universality of human rights. Regional systems of promotion and protection can further help strengthen the enjoyment of human rights, and the Arab Charter on Human Rights is an important step forward in this direction.
The next vital step will be to ensure that the body that will monitor the Charter, the Arab Committee for Human Rights, is independent and properly resourced so as to be effective and efficient. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is committed and stands ready to support the States Parties to the Charter in ensuring that core values of human rights are upheld.
UNITED NATIONS Press release
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.
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