The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) joins the international community in commemorating the 74th anniversary of the International Human Rights Day, celebrated on December 10th of each year, the day on which the United Nations General Assembly promulgated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which has served ever since as a common standard for all peoples and nations.
This is indeed an opportunity to reassert the need to build a world that respects fundamental human rights, foremost among which is the right of all people to enjoy dignity and equality, without discrimination based on gender, race, religion or language. Expanded human rights systems have been established based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, aimed at protecting vulnerable groups, especially children, persons with disabilities, and immigrants, and at promoting economic and social rights.
As part of its mandate in the fields of education, culture and science, ALECSO has worked to promote the right to education and ensure universal access to it in line with the principles of justice, fairness and inclusiveness. It has also sought to enhance the right to participate in cultural life and to benefit from scientific progress and its applications.
Keen on promoting women’s social and cultural empowerment, ALECSO has worked to incorporate women’s rights into many of its activities in order to ensure equality and eliminate all forms of discrimination. It has also been involved in holding conferences in this regard, and produced publications to enhance the image of women in Arab school curricula.
ALECSO takes this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to working toward supporting children’s rights as an integral part of human rights, by offering them learning opportunities that would enable them to develop balanced personalities and strengthen their abilities and talents. To that end, ALECSO calls for promoting policies aimed at protecting children from neglect, abuse and violence, supporting investment in projects that prepare them for the future, and providing remedial education opportunities for school dropouts to prevent them from falling into delinquency and relapsing into illiteracy.
ALECSO has made child care and development a key focus area in its programs and activities. Its Action Plan for the period 2023-2028 includes projects related to children’s fundamental rights, including the promotion of early childhood education and the development of policies that help integrate pre-school education into the stages of general education, and offer all 3-6 year-old children, female and male, the opportunity to receive adequate psychological care and quality education before joining school.
