KUWAIT CITY, Jan 10: Dr. Abdul Reda Asiri, Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Complaints and Grievances and Member of the Board of Directors of the National Office for Human Rights, emphasized the imperative of integrating a human rights culture into academic curricula, particularly in the secondary education phase, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

Speaking at a press conference hosted by the Center for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies at Kuwait University, Asiri underscored the need to develop a national strategy for human rights, overseen by the Bureau, in collaboration with relevant institutions.

Asiri highlighted the outcomes of the symposium on "Human Rights Policies in Kuwait and Interaction with the Local and International Situation," held in December. The symposium generated crucial recommendations, emphasizing the necessity of awareness and educational programs regarding the Bureau's role. He stressed the Bureau's role in embracing community initiatives of a human rights and humanitarian nature and fostering effective partnerships to propagate the culture and goals of human rights. 

The recommendations included leveraging higher education institutions and their expertise to address human rights issues through research tools and established mechanisms for measurement and evaluation. Asiri called for the establishment of a joint Gulf mechanism for national human rights institutions, akin to the Arab Network of National Institutions, to enhance the capabilities of Gulf institutions and provide logistical support.

He emphasized the importance of cooperation between the Bureau and judicial and legal institutions, advocating for joint training and awareness programs. Recommendations also emphasized regular meetings or forums with the public to enhance human rights awareness, shed light on governmental and non-governmental agency activities, and the issuance of a volume containing constitutional texts, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and related international conventions.

Asiri stressed the need for closed or limited workshops involving specialists and stakeholders to discuss human rights issues and develop plans, policies, strategies, and problem-solving. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of strategic relations with educational institutions to prepare accredited academic or training programs for human rights activists.

The recommendations highlighted the importance of drafting a comprehensive law that explicitly repeals provisions violating human rights, assigns jurisdiction to national courts for human rights violations, ensures compatibility with existing legislation, and mandates the implementation of court decisions. Activating laws regulating technology and artificial intelligence to preserve human rights at all levels was also underscored.