Katara – the Cultural Village Foundation hosted a concert on Sunday to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The concert was organised in co-operation with the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Doha and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO).
The event took place in the presence of the Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, general manager of Katara; Maryam bint Abdullah al-Attiyah, secretary-general of NHRC; George Abu al-Zulof, head of the UN Human Rights Training and Documentation Centre for the South-West Asia and Arab region, in addition to representatives of a large number of VIP diplomatic missions to Qatar and human rights enthusiasts.
The concert included a performance by QPO featuring musicians such as Marcel Khalife, Nasser Sahim, Wael bin Ali and Dana Alfardan, Katara has said in a statement.
Meanwhile, official speeches were delivered during the evening by Dr al-Sulaiti, al-Attiyah and al-Zulof.
Speaking on the occasion, the Katara general manager said: “Katara adopts cultural diversity as part of a clear and conscious vision that believes in the close connection among cultures, rights and freedoms. This is due to the strong relationship of such connection with creativity, as well as Katara’s belief that the cultural rights of a man constitute an asset and a qualitative addition to human rights.
“Katara always works to promote awareness of human rights, and is keen on developing a spirit of co-operation and tolerance, spreading a culture of law, peace and freedom among peoples, respecting the cultural identity of each society, and enriching various cultures, giving them human dimensions and unleashing their creative horizons.”
On her part, al-Attiyah noted that Human Rights Day is being celebrated at a time when the Arab region faces difficult circumstances – going through the scourge of wars and its effects on civilians, children and women, not to mention the blockade and its repercussions on human rights.
“In this regard, NHRC condemns any decisions or measures to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and considers it a flagrant violation of international conventions and resolutions.
“The National Human Rights Committee joins the Independent Commission for Human Rights in Palestine in calling on all national institutions and international organisations to stand by the Palestinian people and end the occupation, and calls for holding an extraordinary session of the UN human rights council, and bringing the issue of Jerusalem to the agenda of the meeting.
She continued, “We are celebrating Human Rights Day this year while we are going through a critical and sensitive phase. The NHRC follows with deep concern the repercussions of the blockade imposed on Qatar and its impact on the human rights of citizens and residents for a period of more than six months.”
Al-Zulof said ever since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly, similar celebrations, speech festivals and conferences have been held to “remind us that all human beings are born free and entitled to equality in dignity and rights”.
In conclusion, al-Zulof asked everyone to join and make a difference to the international campaign that has been launched under the title ‘Stand up for human rights’.
The concert in progress.
