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FIDH delegate to the Arab League
Hafez Abu Saeda welcomes creation of first human rights NGO in Saudi Arabia
10/3/2004
Hafez Abu Saeda, the delegate of the Federation Internationale des ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) to the Arab League welcomes the Saudi Government's agreement to the creation of the first independent human rights association in Riyadh which will be called the National Association for Human Rights.
He added that this decision is the result of Arab governments realising that civil society institutions, created by the need for political reform, play a pioneering role in implementing the provisions of international human rights instruments.
He requested that the Association's founder members co-operate with regional and international NGOs on human rights issues and that they abide by the UN human rights treaties.
Abu Saeda underlined that NGOs are essential within a democratic regime and that civil society institutions are the mainstay of democratic pluralism forming one a state's power structures.
Furthermore they redress the state less / society more balance which emerged out of its state more / society less predecessor by making both the state and society equally strong.
He asked that Arab governments provide appropriate conditions for the creation of an effective civil and rights society by allowing it to work unhindered by legislative restraints and by providing it with the necessary funding.
Civil society is the impetus for real reform and the basis of economic recovery.
In order that society and individuals possess the ability to realise their economic development they must first enjoy their human rights - the absence of these rights necessarily impedes or retards development.
It is therefore crucial that human rights are respected in theory and in practice before democracy can be realised because democracy is the framework within which social rights are contained.
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