Katara marks UDHR anniversary with diverse activities

An array of informative events, folkloric performances and fun-filled activities for all ages at Katara – the Cultural Village marked the opening of ‘The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)’ on Friday.

The three-day event, organised by Katara in co-operation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), will run until Sunday.
Performers from China, Algeria and Macedonia enthralled the audience with their traditional songs and dances in the evening at the Katara Amphitheatre, which also highlighted the continuation of the ‘Cultural Diversity Festival.’



NHRC public relations and media unit head Abdullah al-Mahmoud

Various activities at a tent built at the Katara Esplanade, which include colouring and painting workshops, games, ‘add your voice’, drawing and handicraft workshops for children, have been attracting many families. The tent is open to the public between 4pm and 9pm.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the celebration on Friday, NHRC public relations and media unit head Abdullah al-Mahmoud said the event this year aims to promote and raise human rights awareness in Qatar, as part of a global campaign.
“We also want to forge partnerships with other entities such as Katara and OHCHR, and organise such activities for children and adults to mark the 70th anniversary of UDHR,” he said. “This year’s celebration is special not only in Doha but in different parts of the world.”
Part of the celebration also includes a fine arts symposium, featuring the works of 20 Qatari and expatriate artists, and a concert by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra at Katara on December 10.
The ‘add a voice’ activity encourages visitors to read and share on social media at least one of the 30 articles from the Declaration in their native language. This maybe about freedom from discrimination, freedom from slavery, right to a fair trial, freedom of expression, and right to education, among others.
According to OHCHR, this campaign aims to raise awareness about the UDHR “by creating a technology-enabled educational tool that can be used by anyone, anywhere in the world.”
“Along with the multi-lingual videos, audio recordings of the full Declaration are also being collected. By combining the video and audio recordings, we offer an interactive tool that ultimately aims to broaden access to the Declaration to new audiences, including the millions of illiterate or visually impaired,” OHCHR said on its website (www.standup4humanrights.org).
According to OHCHR, the UDHR, known as the most translated document in the world, can be read in more than 500 languages.