NIHR celebrates its 10th anniversary

I n conjunction with its 10th anniversary and marking the Human Rights Day which is observed to honour the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) yesterday held a reception ceremony, in the presence of Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, members of the Shura and Representatives Councils, senior officials and ambassadors.

The Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister lauded the outstanding efforts of NIHR over the past 10 years in boosting human rights and raising awareness of them. He said marking the 10th anniversary of the institution is an opportunity to renew appreciation of the kingdom’s pioneering achievements in respecting human rights which have been promoted by the pioneering reform project of His Majesty the King.

NIHR President Maria Khouri underlined the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa which enabled Bahrain to bring about many human rights accomplishments. She also stressed the royal vision to boost peaceful coexistence, pointing out the role of the National Action Charter and the kingdom’s constitution in fostering human rights. She voiced keenness of NIHR on more cooperation with the UN agencies and the civil society institutions to further promote human rights in Bahrain.

NIHR Secretary-General Chancellor Yasser Ghanim Shahin said the institution had provided more than 500 training programmes to its staff locally and abroad to boost their academic and practical competence. He also pointed out the training and awareness programmes held by the institution to promote the culture of human rights, adding that NIHR has succeeded in training more than 9500 persons over the past ten years.

He also stressed keenness of the Secretariat General to ensure high competence in providing services, pointing out the ongoing efforts to optimise those services according to innovative methods as well as the best inter national standards and practices.