Chapter 1 - Report of the Education and Public Relations Group
Members of the Commission with recipients of the 2014 Human Rights Awards
3. HUMAN RIGHTS DAY CELEBRATION
On 10 December, to commemorate Human Rights Day, the United Nations Country Team in
Malaysia (UNCT), in collaboration with the Commission, the Global Movement of Moderates
Foundation (GMMF), the Society for the Promotion of Human Rights (PROHAM) and the Bar
Council, hosted Human Rights Week, which was a series of commemorative and awareness
raising activities revolving around the theme “Human Rights 365”, reflecting the idea that every
day is Human Rights Day.
Human Rights Week was launched by YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Minister in
Charge of Governance, Human Rights and Integrity, on 8 December at the Institute of Integrity
Malaysia (IIM). This was followed by an Interfaith Panel Discussion on the theme “Harmony in
Diversity: A Human Rights Approach”. The Panel Discussion was attended by 200 participants
from diplomatic missions, the civil service, NGOs, UN agencies and the media.
The panel discussion enabled
the panellists as well as
participants of different
religious traditions to share
their reflections on the
issues and challenges faced
by Malaysia in preserving
national harmony among
its ethnically, culturally
and religiously diverse
community.
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The Interfaith Panel Discussion was moderated by Dato’
Saifuddin Abdullah, CEO of the GMMF and featured
four panellists, namely, Dr Ayang Utriza Yakin, an
international Muslim Scholar; the Most Reverend Julian
Leow, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur;
Sister Barbara Yen from Buddhist Maha Vihara; and
Prof Dr Suresh Kumar A/L P Govind, the President of
Sathya Sai Baba Central Council of Malaysia. The panel
discussion enabled the panellists as well as participants
of different religious traditions to share their reflections
on the issues and challenges faced by Malaysia in
preserving national harmony among its ethnically,
culturally and religiously diverse community.