The Kingdom puts human rights at the forefront of its national priorities, Dr. Bandar Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, President of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), has said. It is this commitment, he said, that has enabled Saudi citizens to enjoy a decent life and to exercise their role in nation-building. Al-Aiban, leading the Kingdom's delegation, was addressing the fourth Beijing Human Rights Forum here, Wednesday. Al-Aiban stressed the need for supporting international and regional efforts to protect noble human values “and rejection of all that contradicts human rights, values and culture, demanding acceptance of cultural differences as enrichment of societies contributing to their understanding.” Al-Aiban laid emphasis on the importance of cultural traditions, values and human rights, pointing out that shedding light on this subject contributes to strengthening the linkages and commonalities between the societies and cultures through constructive discussions and dialogue for a cooperative world living in peace, security, prosperity and coexistence. He said commitment to shared human values “and high ethics agreed upon by the divine religions and various cultures promote maintenance of human security and cohesion of society and enhance the capability of societies to protect their heritage of values and traditions.” The Kingdom, he said, is governed by values — jointly adopted by the various components and groups of society and mainly stemming from the Islamic (Shariah) law. “These are authentic human values that ensure human dignity, freedom and rights,” he said. Al-Aiban praised the insightful vision of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, which emphasized the importance of establishing the principles and values of human rights through respect of human thought and diversity of cultural traditions. The HRC chief said the Kingdom established the course of dialogue among different cultures to create a new and civilized world devoted to the concept of peace and human tolerance. He stressed that the Kingdom has adopted many programs aimed at promoting the values of human rights and the culture of dialogue, broadening the participation of members of all groups and classes of society and strengthening the role of civil society institutions in order to achieve justice and equality.
