Doha, 15 Feb. 2020

International conference on ‘Social Media: Challenges And Ways To Promote Freedoms and Protect Activists’ will take off  on Sunday.

Over 300 local, regional and International organizations including human rights institutions, universities, think-tanks, journalists unions, major social media networks are among the participants in two days long conference. The conference is organized at the Hotel Ritz Carlton Doha by National Human Rights Committee of Qatar in collaboration with  Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI),  Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations (OHCHR), European Parliament and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

Experts and prominent personalities from social media, human rights institutions, parliamentarian committees and academics will be witnessing the discussion on more than 40 working papers, participating in 5 interactive sessions and 4 various working groups over two days long event.

In a pre-event statement, His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, Chairman NHRC Qatar said that the preparations for the international conference are in its final steps. He lauded the existing cooperation and coordination between the organizing bodies represented in the National Human Rights Committee, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations, the European Parliament and the International Federation of Journalists.

He said that the conference will witness experts and personalities from human rights institutions, major social media out lets, universities, think tanks, ‘Tic-Tac’, representatives from United Nations, European Union, European Parliament,  as well as wide participation from various regions across the globe including Germany; Italy;  Spain; the United States of America; Unions from Latin American countries such as the Press Syndicate in Costa Rica, Brazil, and Colombia:  as well as unions for journalists from African and Asian countries are participating, he added.

Dr. Al-Marri said that prominent personalities and representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Matt international, organizations and networks of social networking sites,  as well as a large participation from Gulf, Arab and African region including Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Jordan, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Comoros, Cameroon, Uganda besides from Eastern Europe and Russia will be witnessed during conference.

Chairman, NHRC said that about 100 media outlets from inside and outside Qatar will be covering the proceedings of the conference including 30 correspondents from international media outlets, 25 journalists and media outlets from the local media and 50 from Social media activists.

The Key-note speakers at the opening session this morning include Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, and Vice-President and Secretary General of the Global Alliance for National Institutions For Human Rights, Dr. Ali Samikh Al-Marri; United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Her Excellency Mrs. Michelle Bachelet will be addressing via Video; Her Excellency Mrs. Georgette Gagnon, Director of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; His Excellency Eamon Gilm WR, Representative of the European Union for Human Rights; His Excellency Younis Mujahid, President of the International Federation of Journalists; and His Excellency Carlos Negret Mosquera, President of the Global Alliance for National Human Rights Institutions.

The Conference is scheduled to close by 0230 PM on Monday with the closing remarks by H. E. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, Chairman, National Human Rights Committee, Qatar.  A tour visit for the delegates is scheduled at 0600 PM followed by a gala dinner in honour of the delegates at 0800 PM at the National Museum of Qatar.