[hr-education-na] HRE at 60th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights

Dear All,

The rest of this week and the beginning of the next week seem to be
crucial to see how the follow up to the Decade will be.

Costa Rica is trying to convene another consultation in a few days.  This
time to determine the paragraphs concerned on the very follow-up - a world
programme.  Hence a new version of the draft resolution will be presented
at the consultation.  Any of you who might be able to attend, please do so
by checking the Order of the Day of the Commission in advance.

The bottom lines for NGOs that we are trying to ensure at this Commission
resolution level, are:

(1) NGOs are invited to participate in formulating the Action Plan of the
World Programme for Human Rights Education;
(2) Whatever sector might be chosen in the first track/ phase, the other
sectors of HRE will not be discouraged that the World Plan should indicate
clearly in finalising its formulation before the World Plan begins.

To my understanding, Commission resolution does not formulate the action
plan but simply basic instruction on how it should be formulated.  The
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will.  And this programme
can evolve in the years to come depending on how NGOs will react to it.
Yes, lot of work to be done by national, regional, and international NGOs
individually and collectively.

At the commission, now we are trying to make the potential of this World
Programme big enough for that purpose.  If you like, it is insemination"
and not "a baby" yet, but with a lot of expectable DNAs for effective and
concrete implementation of HRE in the years to come.

Every one of actors in the world will be a parent to grow it soon.

Regarding the NGO joint statement, ITEM 17 hasn't come up yet.  The whole
planned agenda of the Commission is behind schedule.  ITEM 17 is now
expected to come up on this Thursday, Friday or next Monday.

As the NGOs voice, the joint statement retain the need for a second
decade, but also, as the need of a global framework for HRE.

Now the statement has the following 17 organisations endorsement (final)
as attached:

Arab Organization for Human Rights
International Alliance of Women
International Federation of University Women
International Fellowship of Reconciliation
International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism
International Peace Bureau
Lutheran World Federation
MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society
New Humanity
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence
Organisation internationale pour le droit à l'éducation et la liberté
d'enseignement ­ OIDEL
Pax Romana
Soka Gakkai International
Wellesley Centers for Women
World Association for the School as an Instrument of Peace
World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church women
World Federation of UN Associations

Next time, if so many NGOs can joint, the joint statement can be divided
into 2 or 3 statements so that more time be given in total and more things
can be said.
This time we had no idea till the last moment of registration that so many
NGOs would join (this is the biggest number of signatures for one joint
statement at the Commission).

Sincerely yours,

Kazunari Fujii
SGI UN Liaison Office
108 route de Suisse
CH-1290 Versoix
Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41-22-7552700
Fax: +41-22-7552702

Attachment: HRE_NGOjointstatementFinal.doc
Description: MS-Word document