Amman, Jan. 13 (Petra) - The National Center for Human Rights handed over the presidency of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions to the National Institution for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Bahrain, after the NCHR held the presidency for a full year.

The handover took place during the Arab Network’s conference and its 25th General Assembly, held in Manama under the title "Protecting Children in the Digital Space: Challenges, Legislation and Preventive Measures." President of the Network and Chairperson of NCHR Board of Trustees Samar Al-Haj Hassan said the conference represents a continuation of the Network’s journey since its launch in 2011, and reflects its continued commitment to promoting and protecting human rights in the Arab region, particularly in light of accelerating digital challenges.

Al-Haj Hassan reviewed the Network’s key achievements in 2025, a year marked by serious regional and international challenges, pointing to main tracks of action that included strengthening governance and building the institutional capacities of member institutions, as well as expanding regional and international coordination and enhancing partnerships.

These efforts also included intensifying human rights advocacy and responding to regional challenges, foremost among them the Palestinian cause, including calls for international legal accountability, rejection of displacement plans, and documentation of violations against civilians and journalists.

For his part, the Commissioner General for Human Rights Jamal Shamayleh said in his address on children’s digital citizenship skills that digital transformations have made cyberspace an integral part of children’s lives, which necessitates empowering them to use it safely in a manner that protects their rights and is consistent with national constitutions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

He stressed that the child’s right to safe access to technology is matched by the duty of the state, educational institutions, civil society, the media and the family to provide a digital environment that protects children from exploitation, violence, cyberbullying and violations of privacy.

Al-Shamaileh highlighted the shared role of schools, families and the media in embedding digital citizenship skills by integrating concepts of digital rights into curricula, empowering children especially children with disabilities to understand the risks of sharing personal data, and enhancing their awareness of their right to privacy, in addition to training teachers and raising parents’ awareness of positive digital guidance methods.

NCHR's presidency of the Network saw effective efforts to strengthen institutional cooperation and coordinate joint positions among member institutions, contributing to supporting the Network’s role and enhancing its regional presence, with emphasis on the Center’s continued support for the Network’s work and active contribution to achieving its objectives in the coming phase.

//Petra// AF