The international symposium Human Rights in the Digital Age: Toward an Advanced Arab Approach to the Right to Education and Development, held Monday at the University of Sharjah, concluded with a call for a unified Arab framework for digital education, a regional regulatory system for artificial intelligence technologies, and enhanced mechanisms to combat misinformation on digital platforms.
Participants also endorsed the proposed UAE Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles as a foundational step toward a comprehensive international convention on digital rights.
The forum approved the formation of a joint committee comprising experts from the University of Sharjah and the Union Association for Human Rights to develop a work framework and a memorandum of understanding aimed at advancing academic programs and collaborative initiatives supporting the UAE’s human rights agenda.
Organized by the Arab Charter on Human Rights Committee at the Arab League, the University of Sharjah, and the Union Association for Human Rights, the symposium brought together regional and international experts, academics, and rights institutions in conjunction with Human Rights Day.
Opening the event, University of Sharjah Chancellor Dr. Essam Al-Ajmi underscored the importance of addressing rapid digital transformation and its profound impact on education, development, privacy, and fundamental rights. He highlighted the university’s role in establishing advanced legal and technical frameworks that safeguard personal data and ensure equitable access to safe digital learning.
Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, President of the Union Association for Human Rights, emphasized that the UAE has set a leading global model in leveraging technology to uphold human dignity and protect rights.
She noted that accelerating advances in artificial intelligence and digital applications require states to adopt updated legislation that ensures responsible and secure digital environments.
Al Kaabi presented the association’s proposal to draft the UAE Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles, envisioned as an initial step toward a comprehensive international digital rights treaty building on the UN’s Global Digital Compact adopted in 2024.
The symposium featured two main sessions: the first addressed digital transformation in education and the need for a modern Arab vision that strengthens quality standards, data protection, and responsible AI use; the second examined the lack of robust international instruments governing digital rights and the growing privacy and equity risks associated with AI technologies.
In the closing session, Dr. Badr Al-Mutairi, representative of the Arab Charter on Human Rights Committee, delivered the final communiqué. Key recommendations included establishing a unified Arab digital education framework, designing a regional AI regulatory model, and developing mechanisms to limit digital misinformation, drawing on the UAE’s leading experience in digital governance and data protection.
The symposium also agreed to create a joint committee of experts to prepare a framework and memorandum of understanding for academic and cooperative programs supporting the UAE’s human rights efforts.
Organisers affirmed that the future of human rights in the Arab region depends on the ability of states to modernize educational systems, adopt advanced digital legislation, and strengthen legal protections in the digital sphere, ensuring equitable access to education and development while safeguarding human dignity.
Participants expressed appreciation for the event’s contributors and underscored the importance of sustained regional and international cooperation to advance a digital transformation rooted in justice, privacy, and human dignity.
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