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Presentation of the Arab Institute for Human Rights
Arab Institute for Human Rights: origin and objectives
The Arab Institute for Human Rights was established in 1989. In addition to its role as an organization entrusted with human rights, the Institute is represented in all Arab countries. Its inception came as a response to an initiative taken by three Arab organizations: the Arab Human Rights Organization, the Union of Arab Lawyers and the Tunisian League for the Protection of Human Rights.
The advent of the Institute came as a response to a given international and regional period that was marked by deep political changes. As a result, the world had heralded, in the early eighties of last century, the emergence of a new international and Arab movement calling for the institution of democracy, the respect of human rights and the empowerment of civil society. The objectives, lying beyond this newly-emerging trend, consist in supporting the various components of the civil society with a view to enhancing their involvement in the management of public affairs and upholding their contribution to the devising of new democratic processes. The Arab Institute for Human Rights was established to help meet all these initial demands. In the Arab region, the inception of the Institute was also accompanied by ominous signs revealing that the Arab regimes have eventually begun to open up onto the crucial issues of democracy and human rights. By the same token, the advent of the Institute was accompanied by the emerging of an activist movement focused basically on human rights issues and keen on detecting, documenting and preventing all kinds of human rights breaches. Yet, and in spite of its pioneering role for the protection of human rights, this movement has remained an elitist circle that is unable to entice any other members beside the intelligentsia and the rich. Due to this vacuum, all the parties concerned have decided to respond to the impending need of providing cultural and educational institutions the activities of which would be geared towards all walks of life among social groups as well as protection and development organizations. These institutions will have to ensure that the culture of human rights encompass the grass roots, to transcend the elitist class, reach out to all social classes and ensure that human rights issues permeate all societal fabric.
The Arab Institute for Human Rights was established to help provide an educational and cultural tool that would reinforce the human rights movement and implement its agenda through the dissemination of human rights culture and values. For this doing, and as early as its inception, the Arab Institute for Human Rights has put the items of training and culture on top of its agenda. By the same token, it has endeavoured to ensure that all the activities undertaken at the Institute, in terms of studies, research, documentation, media and publication, are at the service of human rights culture and do reflect the lofty values of this humanitarian mission.
The objective of the Arab Institute for Human Rights is to strive for the prevailing of an Arab spirit that would be in synergy with the international human rights movement, rather than being isolated from it. It is not a mere coincidence, therefore, that the Institute has been connected, right at the outset, to the United Nations institutions focused on human rights such as the Higher Committee for Human rights, the UNESCO, the UNICEF and the UNDF. It is worth noting here,; that the four institutions indicated above are represented in the Board of Chairmen of the Institute, in addition to its three founding organizations. The Arab Institute for Human rights is making big efforts with a view to disseminating a message that considers human rights as a set of universal values and not a western trend that is incompatible with cultural attributes, including religious creeds. Therefore, the Institute has set forth to prevent the real or fictitious features from justifying the violation of individual or collective rights, the discredit of human dignity, the mutilation of the human body, the discrimination against woman or the stifling of the freedom of thought, expression or belief. The Arab Institute fro Human Rights is, therefore, considered as a universal reference upon which are based the human and humanitarian values that are neither oriental nor occidental. By the same token, and given that these values are the output of all cultures and civilizations, the Institute does consider that they lie at the heart of the strategy advocated by the Institute to conduct its work plans and carry out its programs.
The Arab Institute for Human Rights works jointly with all stakeholders to implement its agenda and reach its objectives. Therefore, and beside the hundreds of NGOs that benefit from its programs and take part in all its activities, the Institute has always been keen on involving the governmental institutions and ministries that take interest in human rights issues, given that the Institute is fully convinced that human rights issues will never succeed as long as they remain a private concern. Furthermore, it is by joint cooperation and common efforts that this dream may come true, as long as there is a consensus on the objectives and principles that could only be implemented through open dialog and the respect of the other regardless of our differences. Hence, the Institute does consider that its major task consists in deploying all efforts with a view to narrowing the divide that could erupt among governments, humanitarian NGOs due to misunderstanding or miscommunication. That is why the Institute has always been the largest space to convene, for the representatives from the government and civil society, to examine all outstanding issues relating to human rights such as education and learning, media, labor and employment etc…
It is thanks to this endeavour that the Arab Institute for Human Rights has always been welcomed by all Arab countries which have never failed to provide it will all facilities and played host to any of its meetings to implement its agenda. Therefore, this is a good token that testifies to the conviction of the Arab citizen that the Arab Institute for Human Rights is ready to play role entrusted to it in the field of human rights at the national, regional and international levels.
This persuasion of the role entrusted to the Institute at the Arab level, is accompanied by an effective recognition and esteem, as to its mission, at the international level. Therefore, the Institute cooperates with the international and regional NGOs, on the one hand, and works jointly with the human rights institutions based in Europe, Africa and America. Also, and since the early years of its inceptions, the institute has been granted the UNESCO award for education in human rights. It has also been given the status of a consultant in the Social and Economic Council, and the status of an observer at the African Committee for Human and Peoples Rights, and the status of an observer at the Arab Human Rights Standing Committee. In addition to its executive bonds with the UNESCO, the Institute also boasts the support of several UN and regional organizations operating in the field of human rights.
It is the body that is entrusted with the setting of strategies, the devising of programs and the taking of decisions that are necessary for the achievement of the goals targeted by the Institute. The Board is also responsible for the implementation and adoption of the cooperation projects carried out with the external parties, as well as the identification of the administrative procedures and financial management of the Institute. The current Board is composed of the members representing the founding organizations of the Institute, i.e. the Arab Human Rights Organization, the Union of Arab Lawyers and the Tunisian League for the Protection of Human Rights, in addition to the UN organizations: Higher Committee for Human rights, the UNESCO, the UNICEF and the UNDF. It should be noted that the Board has taken a provision making for other organizations and competencies to join the Board, should the need arise. The current strategy, 2008 – 2011, aims at extending the Board structure with the adhesion of further organizations such as women organizations, development organizations and child organizations.
The scientific committee of the Institute is composed of a plethora of competent experts and technicians in all fields relating to its area of specialty. It is a consultative body that is appointed to provide the consultancy required for the devising of strategies, the drawing of plans and the follow-up of activities undertaken by the Institute. The current strategy has been put forth to allow the scientific committee convene on a regular basis, once a year, in order to set the Institute agenda, evaluate its work, draft the proposals and recommendations in the field of human rights and disseminate its values at the Arab and international levels. This strategy aims, amongst others, at extending the scope of the scientific committee so that it could better reflect a wider geographical and distribution representation in tune with its member’s specialty.
The Beirut office, which covers the overall Middle East countries, is used as a focal point to achieve regional activities, foster the Institute status and enhance its contribution in the Arab Mashreq.Thanks to all these assets, the Institute has enjoyed resounding success, transcending sheer representation and definition, to propose draft projects before ensuring their implementation and follow-up. For this doing, the Institute works privately or in cooperation and partnership with human rights organizations and partner institutions such as the Lebanese University, UNICEF, the Higher Human Rights Regional Center Committee etc… Arab Institute for Human Rights14,Street El Jahed (via El Moez)El Menzeh- 1004 Tunis -TunisieTél:(216)71 76 70 03 (216)71 76 78 89
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