2nd World Human Rights Forum closed after four days of fruitful debate and calls for more campaigns for human rights protection
The World Human Rights Forum (Marrakesh, 27-30 Nov. 2014) closed on Sunday, Nov. 30, after four days of fruitful and strong discussions, bringing together more than 7000 participants from 95 countries. The 2014 Forum discussed more than 100 human rights themes and hosted some 160 activities, including 50 thematic forums, 41 self-organized activities, 20 cultural events, 11 training sessions and six cultural exhibitions.
Women's rights, environmental rights, the rights of the child, freedom of speech and protection of journalists, religious traditions and human rights, the internet, the MDGs, the abolition of the death penalty, the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief, or to change one’s religion, business & human rights, and other related human rights issues, were openly debated by experts, professionals, academicians, civil society, private or public stakeholders, students… from all walks of life. Those who could not attend these activities in person had the chance to follow the discussions mainly through the Forum’s website, Web TV and radio channel. All in all, some 30 million hits were recorded by Sunday, Nov. 30, on the different communication tools administered by the Forum.
Everyone had a chance to freely express his/her views. The Forum was an opportunity to exchange, to debate, to learn from different best practices, to criticize, to protest, to agree, to disagree…
Speaking at the closing session of this global event, Ms. Navy Pilay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, commended this “magnificent Forum”. “As an African black woman spending a lifetime advocating for human rights, I take particular pride in this world forum… which started in Brazil, has been now given life in Morocco and will be developed further in Argentine.” These are three developing countries from the south contributing to human rights in the world. For the former world’s top human rights official, “this shows that human rights are not the product of any particular group, culture or civilization but a genuine common heritage of humanity”.
She also welcomed the strong involvement of civil society in the forum and the mobilization of students young volunteers in its organization, expressing hope to see representatives of the youth on the podium in the 3rd World Human Rights forum that will be held in Argentina.
Mr. Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders also took part in the closing session of the forum. He stressed that human rights defenders in different countries are in dangerous situations. They are threatened, harassed, intimidated, sometimes there are laws that criminalize their actions, sometimes they are subject to defamation campaigns, sometimes they are denied of their right to gathering or assembly, in some countries they can be arrested, detained, disappeared or murdered…. He called on governments to protect human rights defenders so that anyone can fully enjoy his/her rights.
Speaking at the end of the closing session, Mr. Driss El Yazami, CNDH Chairman, said that after four days of fruitful debate and discussions, the human rights actors go back to their daily struggle for freedom and dignity for all our fellow human beings. “We will continue, we will not give up our dreams, our values or our beliefs.” “We will persevere, peacefully united and diverse, tolerant to our differences, ready, permanently listening to each other, dreaming of this utopia of a fraternal and united humanity, universality both firm and open” he concluded.
Other renowned international human rights experts took the floor at the podium, including the representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the Chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Network of Human Rights, the President of the National Federation of Deaf (Morocco), the Special Rapporteur on the Right to education, the President of the Choukri Belaid Foundation (Tunisia), and the Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union.