Established in 2006 by the UN General Assembly, the Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. 

The Council produces a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism which assess the human rights situations in all 192 UN Member States once every four years. The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations. As one of the main features of the Council, the UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed.

The UPR is one of the key elements of the new Council which reminds States of their responsibility to fully respect and implement all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The ultimate aim of this new mechanism is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.

Norway is one of the 47 states part of the Council, and has has submitted its national report which examines how Norway has followed up its human rights obligations. It sets out the results achieved and examples of good practice, as well as challenges and difficulties that Norway is facing: “… a good opportunity to undertake a general, critical review of the human rights situation in Norway…” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway - website).

Excerpts from the Norwegian report:  

Human rights education :
"Education and training in human rights is a prerequisite for promoting and protecting human rights. Norway does not currently have an overview over courses, teacher qualifications and implementation of such education, or knowledge of the extent to which personnel in key professions have sufficient operational competence to identify possible human rights violations…”

"... In cooperation with the Council of Europe, Norway established the Wergeland Centre for Inter-cultural Understanding, Human Rights and Democratic Citizenship in 2008. The Centre will function as a European resource centre for education in these fields."