Shoura Council urges program to ready Saudi experts for UN human rights roles

The Saudi Shoura Council on Wednesday urged the setting up of a special program to prepare experts from the Kingdom to take up top human rights roles within the UN.

During the council’s 33rd ordinary session, chaired by its assistant speaker Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan, delegates called on the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) to cooperate with the relevant authorities to establish a qualifying program to ready Saudis specialized in human rights to become the country’s representatives at the UN on the issue.

The meeting also asked the HRC to create a database and produce annual statistics relating to human rights conditions in the Kingdom, in accordance with international standards.

Shoura Council members pointed out that systems would need to be put in place to measure quality standards and progress toward implementing the UN’s sustainable development plan for 2030.

In addition, the HRC was requested to oversee the launch of community awareness programs to help curb incidents of violence, especially against women and children.

On other matters, the council demanded that the Saudi Ministry of Transport work with the relevant authorities to improve, where necessary, road services while also drawing up a plan to provide integrated services for users of all the Kingdom’s highways.

It also urged the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) to investigate ways of attracting investment in the aquaculture industry, and projects to manufacture agricultural products. The council decided that a comprehensive ADF plan was also needed to help hit sustainable agricultural rural development program funding targets.