In December 1999, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) organized, in cooperation with the Government of
the Republic of Korea, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and
HURIGHTS OSAKA, a Sub-Regional Training Workshop on Human Rights
Education in North-East Asia (Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1-4 December
1999), which was attended by delegations from China, Japan, Mongolia
and Republic of Korea. The Workshop adopted conclusions and
recommendations for follow-up which you will find below.
Elena Ippoliti
OHCHR Geneva
e-mail: eippoliti.hchr@unog.ch
---------------
THE SEOUL DECLARATION
Conclusions and Recommendations of the Sub-Regional Training Workshop on
Human Rights Education in Northeast Asia held in Seoul, Republic of Korea
from 1 to 4 December 1999
The participants in the Sub-Regional Training Workshop on Human Rights
Education in Northeast Asia, including education policymakers, officers
responsible for teacher-training institutions and for education faculties
of universities, materials and curriculum developers, and members of NGOs
and other national institutions/organizations active in the area of human
rights education in schools from China, Japan, Mongolia and Republic of
Korea,
CONSIDERING THAT
The United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004),
proclaimed in accordance with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action (1993), has provided Governments, international organizations,
nongovernmental organizations, professional associations and all other
sectors of civil society with a common strategy in worldwide efforts for
human rights education, training and public information;
The Framework for Regional Technical Cooperation adopted by consensus in
the Sixth Workshop on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights in the Asian and Pacific Region (Teheran 1998),
and reaffirmed in the 1999 New Delhi Workshop, identified human rights
education as one of the four key priorities for regional cooperation;
Human rights education in the formal education system, in conjunction with
non-formal human rights education, is an important part of an overall
national human rights educational strategy;
During the past two years, various human rights education partners have
been discussing ways and means to advance human rights education within
the Asia-Pacific region, including the UNESCO-sponsored Asia and Pacific
Conference on Education for Human Rights in Asia and the Pacific (Pune,
India, February 1999) which gathered representatives of Governments,
national institutions, nongovernmental organizations and individual
experts from approximately 20 countries;
Various countries in the Asia-Pacific region have undertaken significant
steps towards the incorporation of human rights education in the school
system providing a wealth of experience on the development of teaching
materials, methodologies, and curricular and extracurricular activities;
MET IN ORDER TO
Share experiences and lessons learnt from the region, discuss challenges,
opportunities and obstacles in pursuing human rights education programmes
in Northeast Asian schools, compare methodologies and explore various
courses of action needed in order to develop and/or strengthen such
programmes,
AND AGREED ON THE FOLLOWING CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
CONCLUSIONS
In view of the changing social, political and economic conditions brought
about by democratization and development of economies in the sub-region,
there is a growing interest and a conducive environment for human rights
education in schools
While there are different country specificities, the need for and
commitment to human rights education are equally recognized
In the sub-region there is a common understanding that human rights
education in schools is based on universally accepted human rights
standards and relevant national education policies and legislation. Human
rights education - an effective tool to prevent human rights violations -
should be understood to cover the whole range of civil, cultural,
economic, political and social rights, the right to development, as well
as those of vulnerable groups. Related responsibilities are equally
emphasized
In addition, there is a consensus on the fact that those norms should be
made relevant to the daily lives of the learners
Participatory and learner-centered methodologies are considered effective
for human rights education programmes
Human rights education programmes in schools are developed and implemented
through the efforts of various institutions and individuals (Ministries of
Education, local authorities, universities, research institutes, teachers,
students and parents, non-governmental organizations, etc.), who
constitute the stakeholders of human rights education
Human rights education programmes in schools are developed in
consideration of different cultural contexts and stages of development of
the country. In this light, traditional values and beliefs which are
related to the protection and the promotion of human rights can be
employed in developing human rights education programmes
Planned education development/reform in the sub-region provides the
appropriate environment for the development and adoption of human rights
education programmes within the formal education system
Regional training centres, such as the Asia-Pacific Regional Centre of
Education for International Understanding (associate Centre of UNESCO),
provide opportunities for training educators in human rights
1. Training of teachers and other education personnel
* Teachers' education institutions do not provide separate courses in
human rights and human rights education methodologies. Those topics are
usually integrated in other courses (i.e. social sciences, etc.), but not
in a systematic or adequate manner
* In-service human rights training for teachers is likewise sporadic and
inadequate
* While there is quite a range of materials for use in the classrooms,
training materials for teachers are highly insufficient
2. Curriculum development and extracurricular activities
* Human rights are not systematically covered in existing curricula, even
though all countries have developed some human rights education materials
* Human rights do not constitute a separate subject but are generally
integrated into specific subjects (i.e. social studies, civics, history,
legal education, moral education, etc.). In this context, however, human
rights are not sufficiently dealt with
* Extracurricular activities are an important contribution to making human
rights education a living experience
3. Policy issues
* Human rights are generally supported by national legislation which
provides a basis for human rights education. However, this legislation
lacks specific details to systematically implement human rights education
programmes in schools
* Government financial allocation for human rights education is not
adequate
* Some countries have adopted a decentralized system of education which
allows schools to develop their own human rights education programmes
4. Human rights education in the classroom
* Multi-method programmes - including use of videos, dramatization, games,
street theatre, role plays, music, art/drawing, television enhance
teaching of human rights in the classroom
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOLLOW-UP
Human rights education should be consistent with the principles and
articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in order to promote
children's well-being and best interest and to protect them from any risk
of abuse
Adequate financial allocation should be made for human rights education
programmes at the international, regional, national levels
Cooperation at the international, regional and national levels should be
enhanced, in the form of workshops, bilateral exchanges, surveys,
teacher-training exchange, educators' networks and information-sharing -
to enhance, among others, common understanding of human rights education
The meaningful involvement of NGOs at all levels in the design,
implementation and evaluation of human rights education activities should
be enhanced to maximize the use of their experience, and cooperation
between governmental and non-governmental players should be improved in an
atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding
Parents should be fully involved in human rights education programmes in
schools both as learners and as educators
Research in all aspects of human rights education in schools should be
undertaken. Education research institutions should be established or
strengthened
The implementation of all recommendations should constitute part of a
comprehensive (in terms of outreach), effective (in terms of educational
strategies) and sustainable (over the long term) national strategy under a
national action plan for human rights education, in accordance with the
United Nations Guidelines for National Plans of Action for Human Rights
Education
The midterm review of progress made at the international, regional,
national and local levels towards achieving the objectives of the United
Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), envisaged for the
year 2000, should include existing initiatives in the sub-region and
should give impetus to human rights education programmes in schools
The Seoul Workshop results should be brought to the attention of the
participants in the Inter-Sessional Workshop on National Plans of Action
for Human Rights Education in the Asia-Pacific Region which will be held
in Japan at the beginning of the year 2000
Governments in the sub-region are urged to consider the assistance in the
development and implementation of human rights education programmes
available under the United Nations Technical Cooperation Programme in the
Field of Human Rights, administered by the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights
Participants and observers should disseminate through their networks the
results of the Workshop, which could be useful to partners in other
countries willing to engage in similar efforts
1. Training of teachers and other education personnel
* Teacher training should aim at increasing knowledge on human rights,
developing skills in the use of participatory and creative methodologies,
and enhancing motivation to teach human rights
* Appropriate and adequate pre- and in-service human rights curricula and
user-friendly material for teachers should be developed
* Human rights training programmes should include human rights issues
related to the teachers and to the family life of the students
* In view of their multiplier effect, train-the-trainers courses should be
organized
* In-service training should be compulsory and be given credit, where
appropriate, and should be provided at basic, intermediate and advanced
levels in order to meet the different needs of the teachers
* Teacher-training institutes and/or training courses on human rights
education should be established
2. Curriculum development and extracurricular activities
* Curriculum development should be an all-inclusive process involving
teachers, human rights experts, educationalists, parents, students,
representatives of NGOs, school governance, etc.
* Curriculum development should be an on-going process subject to
piloting, review, evaluation and revision
* Human rights education should be infused into all levels of education
* Extracurricular activities should be organized within and for the
benefit of the community and the family. They could include field visits,
interaction programmes with other schools, camps, festivals, etc.
3. Policy issues
* Appropriate laws and regulations which support human rights education in
schools should be enacted which, among others, allow flexibility in the
development of human rights education programmes
4. Human rights education in the classroom
* Teachers should be aware of the background of their students and need to
develop a trusting relationship with them in order to be effective. The
question of the power relationship between teachers and students should be
addressed
* Classroom/school management should ensure that a human rights culture
prevails in the classroom/school in support of human rights education
* Classroom human rights educational materials should be user-friendly
* United Nations agencies should provide adequate assistance to States in
the compilation of "best practices" in teaching methodologies
* A catalogue of appropriate creative methodologies for use in the
classroom should be produced in cooperation with NGOs, research centres
and relevant specialists, and widely disseminated to teachers.
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