The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee continued its discussion on a Draft Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training on January 25 during its fourth session in Geneva, as mandated to it by the Human Rights Council.

Emmanuel Decaux, Rapporteur of the drafting group on the declaration, in concluding remarks, said when discussing human rights and human rights education, many challenges were encountered, and this was therefore a very valuable discussion. The question of who the declaration was for had to be addressed - whether it was for the general public or for States. Each State had a tradition of education and human rights. States were very diverse, and this had to be dealt with, as did the diversity of national players and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and how they dealt with education. In the midst of all this diversity, an encouraging factor was that all mentioned the importance of human rights in practice.

Among issues raised by other speakers, including States and NGOs, was that human rights education and training were invaluable tools for enshrining the values of dignity, freedom, equality and justice, values that underpinned human rights as they affected the daily lives of all across the planet. Common values like freedom and equality were fundamental and came under the tolerance umbrella, which embodied respect for peace, dignity and human rights. A global common value system had to be allowed to flourish. Human rights education signified a new kind of governance based on human rights within educational policies for both policy makers and civil society.

In the process of improvement of the current draft, aspects on definition and principles should be more appropriately included. Each individual young person upholding human rights and joining with others could create a line of networks protecting and promoting human rights that would eventually permeate the entire globe: the role of youth should be included as a substantive factor promoting human rights education and training. There was room for further refining the text - a concise and accessible text was what was required by all, but it should be comprehensive and address all aspects of human rights education and training.

Speaking during the afternoon was the Philippines. Also speaking was the Advisory Council of Human Rights of Morocco, as well as the International Organization for the Right to Education and Freedom of Education, Soka Gakkai International, Amnesty International, New Humanity, European Disability Forum, Indian Council of South America and World Peace Council.


Read the full discussion on the draft.