Joint NGO Statement
After twenty years of achievements human rights education action still needed
The UN Human Rights Council 22nd session (25 February -22 March, 2013)
Under Agenda Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Kazunari Fujii (SGI) on behalf of :
- SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL (SGI)
- INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION AND FREEDOM OF EDUCATION (OIDEL)
- HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION ASSOCIATES (HREA)
- ASSOCIATION POINTS-COEUR/ HEART’S HOME
- UNITED NETWORK OF YOUNG PEACEBUILDERS (UNOY PEACEBUILDERS)
- INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN (IFUW)
- AL-HAKIM FOUNDATION
- INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (IARF)
- INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AND RACISM (IMADR)
- ASIA-PACIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION CENTER (HURIGHTS OSAKA)
- ASIAN FORUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT (FORUM-ASIA)
- TERESIAN ASSOCIATION
- SERVAS INTERNATIONAL (SI)
- INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (EAFORD)
- SOVEREIGN MILITARY ORDER OF THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM (OSMTH)
- INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PEACE MESSENGER CITIES (IAPMC)
- GLOBETHICS.NET FOUNDATION (GLOBETHICS.NET)
Thank you, Mr. President,
I speak on behalf of 17 organisations.[1]
Fifteen months have passed since the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training was adopted.
It has been 20 years since the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights resulted in the launch of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education from 1995 to 2004, placing human rights education on the UN agenda.
Regional initiatives have also taken place, including the Council of Europe Charter[2] and the OSCE Guidelines on Human Rights Education.[3]
Recently OHCHR made a call for suggestions and views on the focus of the third phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, due on 2 April.[4]
In relation to this, an online forum on the third phase has been launched and is taking place until 19 March through the listserv network of Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) in partnership with the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning in Geneva.[5]
Looking back over the past twenty years, we have witnessed increased commitments of Member States to human rights education, particularly in schooling systems. We recognise a proliferation of the engagement of civil society in human rights education, especially in the non-formal education sector, and a wide variety of human rights teaching and learning resources readily available online and in many languages.
Although this progress is laudable, they are still far from sufficient. Even the most basic awareness raising activity – the dissemination and promotion of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training in local languages – has yet to be carried out in every country.
We call upon all Member States to fulfil this most basic activity, along with other human rights education and training commitments, in keeping with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, the World Programme for Human Rights Education, related UNESCO’s documents and other regional policy frameworks.
Thank you, Mr. President.
[1] This statement reflects views of NGOs expressed in the discussions of the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning of the Conference of NGOs (CoNGO) and Human Rights Education Associates (HREA).
[2] Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)7 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education (Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 11 May 2010 at the 120th Session).
[3] Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)/ the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe: Secondary School Systems; Law Enforcement Officials; Health Professionals; and Human Rights Activists. The former two documents are already launched and available online: http://www.osce.org/odihr/93969. The latter two documents are expected to be launched in 2013.
[4] See, OHCHR website on the WPHRE: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Education/Training/WPHRE/ThirdPhase/Pages/ThirdPhaseIndex.aspx.
[5] See, www.hrea.org
