United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board

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1 ex United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Executive Board Hundred and sixty-first Session 161 EX/24 PARIS, 2 April 2001 Original: English Item of the provisional agenda IMPLEMENTATION OF 30 C/RESOLUTION 16 CONCERNING THE OVERALL STRATEGY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION SUMMARY In conformity with 30 C/Resolution 16 adopted by the General Conference at its 30th session, this document provides an overview of the major activities achieved during the current Medium-Term Strategy period ( ) and briefly outlines UNESCO s action and strategy in the field of human rights education. Decision required: paragraph 8.

2 161 EX/24 1. Synthesis of recent activities (a) The overall strategy of the Organization in the field of human rights education is based on a comprehensive approach to human rights, recognizing the indivisibility and interdependence of all rights civil, cultural, economic, political and social and the interdependence and mutually reinforcing nature of democracy, development and human rights. (b) Human rights education is itself a human right. According to the Plan of Action for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education ( ), human rights education is defined as training, dissemination and information efforts aimed at the building of a universal culture of human rights through the imparting of knowledge and skills and the moulding of attitudes directed to: (i) the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, (ii) the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, (iii) the promotion of understanding, tolerance, gender equality and friendship among all nations, indigenous peoples and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, (iv) the enabling of all persons to participate effectively in a free society, (v) the furtherance of the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace (A/51/516, Add. 1, para. 2). The Plan of Action for the Decade, states also that UNESCO, by reason of its long experience in education, educational methodology and human rights and through its network of UNESCO schools, clubs, human rights chairs and National Commissions shall play a central role in the design, implementation and evaluation of projects under the Plan (para. 17). (c) Human rights education is an important means for the prevention of conflicts, conflict resolution, peace-making and peace-building and a major tool for the promotion of a culture of peace. Considering the inherent link between human rights, peace and development, and bearing in mind the World Plan of Action for Education on Human Rights and Democracy (1993), the Declaration and Integrated Framework of Action on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy (1995) and the Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace (Article 4), as well as the relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, UNESCO has developed its activities along the following lines. 2. Assessment of needs and formulation of strategies (a) An important aspect of UNESCO s work consists in monitoring Member States implementation of normative instruments adopted under its auspices (the Declaration on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy adopted by the International Conference on Education in October 1994 and its Integrated Framework of Action). Within this framework UNESCO prepares sexennial reports based on national reports received from Member States, pursuant to 23 C/Resolution 13.3, paragraph 1(a), which established the Permanent System of Reporting. A questionnaire has been sent to Member States with the necessary guidelines for the preparation of the national reports, which should cover the period since the adoption of the Declaration and Integrated Framework (1995). The reports should aim at identifying general trends and innovative practical measures and will serve as a basis for further UNESCO strategies and activities. A general report summing up the results of the survey will be prepared and submitted to the Executive Board and to the General Conference in 2001, leading finally to the preparation of the third sexennial report to be submitted to the General Conference at its 32nd session (2003). There is an overall need to improve the System of Reporting, particularly by increasing national capacities in data collection, as well as in the analysis and monitoring of activities. Attention should be given to possible links with

3 161 EX/24 page 2 other United Nations reporting mechanisms touching upon the issue of human rights education. (b) The mid-term global evaluation of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, undertaken by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), was launched by a joint letter signed by the Director-General of UNESCO and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2000 (report is contained in document A/55/360). The evaluation included a global survey realized in collaboration with UNESCO on organizations, materials and programmes for human rights education developed since the launching of the Decade. The final result is a database, managed by OHCHR, whose aim is to facilitate information sharing on the many resources available in the area of human rights education and training. The database is available online on OHCHR s website ( and accessible directly from the website of UNESCO s Division of Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance ( (c) The fifth session of the Advisory Committee on Education for Peace, Human Rights, Democracy, International Understanding and Tolerance was held at UNESCO Headquarters from 20 to 22 March The main items discussed were: (i) Issues and innovative approaches concerning education for a culture of peace; (ii) Priority areas and action-oriented strategies to implement particularly 30 C/Resolution 16; (iii) UNESCO action for education and training within the United Nations system. The final report of the meeting was published and widely disseminated. (d) UNESCO organized four major regional conferences on human rights education in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Arab world. 1 A fifth conference for Latin America and the Caribbean is being organized jointly by the Education and Social Sciences Sectors in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and will take place before the end of (e) The Organization has also strengthened its cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), by participating in the pre-sessional working group meetings, whose aim is to prepare in advance a set of points to debate with the country s delegation at the next CRC session. The Committee members, United Nations organizations and relevant NGOs are invited to participate. The pre-sessional meetings constitute a privileged opportunity not only to impart but also to receive information illustrating problems, improvements and assistance needed. The Committee strongly feels that UNESCO is the United Nations agency in charge of at least the educational articles of the Convention, and wishes to receive, prior to the pre-session meetings, relevant written information on the educational developments in each country. The Committee members have been expressing their satisfaction with UNESCO s renewed commitment vis-à-vis the CRC and with our presence at the session. (f) Within the framework of this improved collaboration, UNESCO was invited to take part in an informal meeting, hosted by Rädda Barnen (Save the Children Sweden). The purpose of the meeting was to advise the Committee on the Rights of the Child in the preparation of the Committee s General Comments on Article 29(1) of the Convention, which deals with the aims of education. The General Comments can be roughly defined as a set of guidelines issued by the treaty body itself, the CRC in this case, to improve the understanding of specific treaties provisions. They are generally intended for States Parties. 1 Finland (1997), Senegal (1998), India (1999), Morocco (1999).

4 3. Support to the development of regional and national capacities 161 EX/24 page 3 (a) UNESCO supports the development of national and local capacities for human rights education, through its cooperation in development projects and programmes, mostly through extrabudgetary funding. In the area of formal education, major activities concern Guatemala (supported by the Italian Cooperation), Southern Africa namely Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, Western and Central Africa Central African Republic, Niger and Chad (both funded by DANIDA), Mali (support of UNDP/NORAD), Albania (financed by Italy) and Kosovo, the latter funded locally by different governmental agencies and NGOs. All projects focus mainly on the development of locally produced human rights educational materials and the training of trainers and teachers. A significant component of training and awareness raising involves also civil society (NGOs, local communities). (b) Moreover, innovative methodologies of human rights education in non-formal settings were tested through a series of social mobilization projects implemented within the framework of the human rights component of the UNESCO/DANIDA Cooperation for Development Agreement. Since 1996, 10 such projects have been and/or are being implemented in the following countries: Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ecuador, Guatemala, Malawi, Mongolia, Pakistan and Senegal. A common feature of these projects is an integrated approach to human rights and local development. In this context, action-oriented human rights education focuses on local officials, community leaders and vulnerable groups in local communities. It is conceived as an innovative entry-point to participatory planning and action at the local level. 4. Educational materials (a) A number of education and information materials were prepared, tested and published. Translation and adaptation in local and national languages allowed wider dissemination in Member States. (b) The Practice of Citizenship, a civics education kit containing a variety of teaching aids, wishes to promote a broader concept of civics education which shall comprise the component of peace, tolerance, international understanding, intercultural dialogue, respect for human rights and practice of democracy. The kit has continued to enjoy positive reviews and much interest from a large spectrum of governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, research and training institutes across the world. Its translation and publication in Albanian and Bosnian by local partners is ongoing. (c) All human beings Manual for Human Rights Education, as well as Tolerance, the threshold of peace, both designed for primary and secondary schools and teacher training, have been translated by interested partners into some 10 languages, the latest of which are Albanian, Bosnian, Lithuanian and Turkish. All human beings has also been adapted locally in various countries. (d) UNESCO cooperated with the Educational Centre for Research and Development (ECRD) and the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) in the production of Education for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, a handbook resource and teaching material. Based on the Lebanese experience, this work wishes to enable teachers and trainers to develop behavioural skills and values that help students to become more effective citizens. Also, within the framework of the UNESCO/DANIDA project Education for human rights and democracy in southern Africa, a manual for human rights and democracy education has been produced. It aims at helping achieve one of the project s objectives, that is, placing

5 161 EX/24 page 4 human rights, peace, democracy and related issues in the mainstream school curricula of the countries concerned. (e) The first two volumes of the three-volume manual on human rights for institutions of higher education prepared by eminent specialists from various regions of the world have been published. The first volume is entitled Human Rights: New Dimensions and Challenges and the second Human Rights: Concepts and Standards. The third volume entitled International Protection of Human Rights will be published in The manual is designed to enrich the content of human rights education and, apart from providing knowledge on human rights standards, mechanisms and procedures, to encourage reflection on threats to and the changing content of human rights in an era of globalization. The manual has been translated and published in Bulgarian and is now being translated into Arabic and Portuguese. The popular publication Human Rights: Questions and Answers, designed both for formal and non-formal education has already been translated and published in more than 30 languages. Recently it was published in Basque and Swedish, while Albanian and Finnish versions are under preparation. The publication Introducing Democracy: 80 Questions and Answers has also been translated into more than 30 languages, including recently into Azerbaijani, Indonesian and Telugu. Another important teaching aid How to File a Human Rights Complaint has been published in English, French and Russian (the Russian edition was adapted to conditions in the Russian Federation). A Bulgarian edition, also adapted to national conditions, is under preparation. The brochure: Human Rights: Major International Instruments, published annually, presents data concerning state of ratification of human rights treaties, both universal and regional. Relevant information and abstracts from UNESCO s publications can be found on the website of the Division of Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance. (f) In response to the emergence of new forms of discrimination related to HIV/AIDS affecting, in particular, young people, UNESCO, with the support of UNAIDS, produces material on human rights in this context. This includes awareness material on the theme All are equal in the context of HIV/AIDS. Moreover, HIV/AIDS: Youth rights in action an action guide for youth organizations will be published in June (g) As requested by 30 C/Resolution 16, and following the Executive Board recommendations (156 EX/43), an evaluation of UNESCO s education and information materials concerning human rights education during the present Medium-Term Strategy will be finalized by the end of The results will then be presented to the 163rd session of the Executive Board. 5. Reinforcement of educational networks (a) The UNESCO Associated Schools Project continued to expand (166 countries, more than 6,000 schools) representing nowadays an effective means for the exchange and sharing of best practices and innovative methodologies in education for peace, human rights and democracy, in particular through ASPnet intersectoral Flagship Projects. (b) UNESCO Chairs in human rights, democracy, peace and tolerance work to build and strengthen academic expertise on human rights, particularly in countries in transition and in developing countries. There are now 53 Chairs in all regions of the world. They develop human rights education at university level and, in a number of cases, assist in training educators in order to ensure a multiplier effect. The Chairs produce educational materials adapted to national and regional conditions. Some of them organize competitions on human rights (for example the Human Rights Olympiad for schools in Poland), and some hold training sessions for professional groups having special responsibilities in the field of human

6 161 EX/24 page 5 rights. The interaction of UNESCO Chairs was strengthened following the signature of an agreement of cooperation among them in 2000 and the establishment of UNESCO Chairholders Forum on the Internet ( Cooperation with human rights research and training institutions is constantly being developed. During the two last meetings of the directors of such institutions (the latest was held in January 2001), an item concerning education for human rights was on the agenda and its discussion was led by the representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Increased cooperation among human rights institutions is facilitated by the biannual publication entitled World Directory of Human Rights Research and Training Institutions, based on the output of the DARE Data Bank of the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Documentation. It includes about 670 institutions in 121 countries ( A specific online database on human rights institutes will be launched in March 2001 on the website of the Division of Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance ( (c) UNESCO has also been taking part in a Joint Committee on Education for Human Rights and Tolerance, created in 1998 as a follow-up to the International NGO Conference and constituted by representatives of NGOs and of the UNESCO Secretariat. The Committee is now working on the development of pedagogical tools to increase awareness on the rights of the child via the Internet. 6. Obstacles and challenges Taking into account UNESCO s experience and the results of the above-mentioned mid-term global evaluation of the Decade, the following points can be raised: (a) Education, including human rights education, is itself a human right. Member States should allocate adequate resources, both financial and human, in order to fulfil their obligations in this domain; (b) Member States should take clear political decisions to translate treaty obligations concerning human rights education into the practice of their education systems. The UNESCO General Conference, and the United Nations, through a number of specific recommendations, declarations and plans of action, have set the direction for governments to pursue; (c) There is a lack of resources, both human and financial, at the national level. This goes along with the need to produce local materials for training, teaching and evaluation. Specialized institutes, UNESCO Chairs, National Commissions, NGOs and Associated Schools Networks should become active partners at the national and local levels; (d) The United Nations system needs to further improve cooperation in human rights education, so as to maximize impact; (e) Non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies should find synergies in order to avoid duplication and increase sustainability of efforts; (f) Apprehension towards innovation still permeates some parts of the educational world. Cooperation with teachers unions, for instance, constitutes a valuable means to enhance ownership and participation;

7 161 EX/24 page 6 (g) Most focus at the international level is on basic learning skills. Functional literacy and numeracy should always be associated with an educational environment and curricula which include human rights knowledge and practice; (h) Educators and education administrators need to be introduced to methodologies which help harmonize cultural diversity and the universality of human rights in the classroom; (i) The content of human rights education should not be limited to the clarification of human rights standards and procedures but should duly take into account the concept of indivisibility, interrelation and interdependence of human rights, as well as the impacts of globalization, positive as well as negative, on the implementation of human rights, as well as the conceptual and factual links between extreme poverty and human rights; (j) Human rights education should serve to empower people and to implement all human rights for all. It should contribute to the adoption of a rights-based approach to development; (k) The lack of financial resources is evident. It could be dealt with, at least partially, through an increased, focused cooperation with donors who have shown particular interest in human rights education; (l) Having regard to the present UNESCO strategy, by which human rights education is part of a larger vision of quality education, the Advisory Committee on Education for Peace, Human Rights, Democracy, International Understanding and Tolerance has not been included in the 31 C/5 proposal. Instead of a formal committee, the use of experts meetings on specific issues is considered. 7. Directions for future action (a) Human rights education should contribute, through imparting knowledge and skills and moulding attitudes and behavioural patterns, to the implementation of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all as a universal value. It should encourage universal acceptance of the principle of indivisibility, interdependence and the equal importance of all human rights civil, cultural, economic, political and social, as well as the affirmation of the principle of gender equality and non-discrimination, in particular in the light of the forthcoming World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban, South Africa, 31 August-7 September 2001). (b) Within the framework of human rights education, UNESCO will pay particular attention to those rights and freedoms which are within its fields of competence: the right to education, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to participate in cultural life, the right to benefit from the results of scientific and technological progress, and others. In particular, the Dakar Framework for Action issued by the World Education Forum clearly reaffirms the vision [ ] supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, that all children, young people and adults have the human right to benefit from an education that will meet their basic learning needs in the best and fullest sense of the term, an education that includes learning to know, to do, to live together and to be. It is an education geared to tapping each individual s talents and potential, and developing learners personalities, so that they can improve their lives and transform their societies. (c) The new Medium-Term Strategy for , drawn up in consultation with Member States and civil society partners, underlines the importance of human rights education in the struggle against poverty, and gives it a central role in the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights. The results of research on threats and challenges to human rights will be used

8 161 EX/24 page 7 in order to sensitize the general public and mobilize society as a whole to further efforts aimed at the realization of human rights. (d) The building and strengthening of programmes and capacities for human rights education at the international, regional, national and local levels will be a priority. Within the framework of the development of EFA national action plans, UNESCO will provide its assistance to Member States so as to integrate into basic education policies and curricula (both formal and non-formal) subjects and themes related to human rights education. Through a reinforced cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNESCO will provide technical support to Member States in the elaboration of national plans for human rights education. Cooperation in the field of human rights education will be further increased and institutionalized with other relevant agencies of the United Nations system. Closer links will be established with regional intergovernmental organizations as well as with non-governmental organizations. (e) Support will be provided for the development of national and regional strategies for training of educational personnel including teachers, planners, managers and teacher educators on human rights. Action will particularly target teacher-training institutions for pre-service and in-service training, as well as non-formal education programmes. New information and communication technologies will be used, as far as possible, to improve the exchange of knowledge and best practices related to teacher training. Cooperation with national and international teachers organizations will be sought. (f) UNESCO will continue to provide assistance in the development of educational, training and information materials, designed for various levels of education, to promote human rights. National and international partners (United Nations agencies, NGOs, publishing houses, etc.) will be closely associated to this effort. UNESCO will further promote translation and adaptation of existing materials. (g) Finally, in cooperation with existing international, regional and national networks, the Organization will contribute to promote and diffuse best practices and innovative pedagogical approaches in the field of human rights education. This will be pursued also through the creation of an online network connecting experts, researchers, educators, students and NGOs. 8. In the light of the foregoing, the Executive Board may wish to consider the following decision: TheExecutiveBoard, 1. Having examined document 161 EX/24, 2. Welcomes the implementation of 30 C/Resolution 16 concerning UNESCO s overall strategy for human rights education; 3. Reaffirms its commitment to the importance of human rights education and its contribution to the development of democracies and peaceful societies; 4. Invites the Director-General to continue to give high priority to the promotion of human rights education both in formal and non-formal settings;

9 161 EX/24 page 8 5. Requests the Director-General, when preparing the Draft Medium-Term Strategy (31 C/4) and the Draft Programme and Budget for (31 C/5), to take into account the views formulated in document 161 EX/24, as well as those expressed during the debate relating to UNESCO s strategy for Human Rights Education.