The second Arab-European Human Rights Dialogue Meeting for National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (NIs), 21-23 October 2007, Copenhagen
By Kristine Yigen & Mette Appel Pallesen
In spring 2007, the first Arab-European Human Rights Dialogue for National Human Rights Institutions became a reality. A much needed forum for discussions on human rights challenges faced by NIs in their efforts to promote and protect human rights in their respective national context was established. Cross-regional human rights challenges were also discussed. The facilitators of the platform have been the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the National Center for Human Rights of Jordan. The dialogue is a platform for knowledge sharing and joint initiatives on selected areas, such as access to information and human rights in counter-terrorism measures.
The second Arab-European human rights dialogue was held in October 2007 in Copenhagen and was devoted to the theme of non-discrimination and equal treatment and how to combat discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, or gender.
Representatives from 11 Arab and European human rights institutions and academic institutions participated in the dialogue meeting. Among the key-note speakers were Dr. Salah Amer, Chairperson of the National Council for Human Rights in Egypt, Mr. Chris Sidoti, Secretary General of the International Service for Human Rights, Geneva, and Mr. Morten Kjaerum and Shaher Bak.