The 2nd world human rights forum will be held in Marrakech, Morocco, November 27 to 30, to look into the progress and challenges facing human rights promotion.
More than 5,000 people coming from nearly 100 countries will attend the gathering to discuss the rights of women, children and ways of promoting human rights awareness among young people.
The forum’s program includes several workshops, roundtables and thematic forums dedicated to women’s issues. The agenda also features debates and discussions on the rights of children, migrants and people with disabilities. Human rights activists, development experts, and political and business leaders will be present.
Among those expected: Nobel Peace Prize laureates Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan, Shirine Ebadi of Iran, and Kailash Satyarthi of India; UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary General Kofi Annan, and former UN Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay; Microsoft founder Bill Gates; and Mikhail Gorbachev.
“Over the past several decades Morocco has prioritized reform to strengthen democracy and human rights institutions, and today is a leader in the region,” said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel. “That Morocco is welcoming this Summit is a strong signal of the country’s continuing commitment to assessing and improving human rights.”
During her latest visit to Morocco, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said “Morocco has clearly made great strides towards the better promotion and protection of human rights…. Morocco is undergoing an important transition and is setting high standards through its Constitution and laws”.
The Marrakech forum takes place twenty years after the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human rights. By hosting this world event, Morocco seeks to contribute to the emergence of a universal platform for dialogue between governments, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations working to meet people’s aspirations for respect, dignity, equality and justice.