[hr-education] Re: Needs in the HRE field

I am writing to you to inquire about the potential donors for upcoming
conference on HRE. You will find hereunder the essential information about
CIHRS conference. The conference will be held in October 2000. This
conference is the second after the 1st International conference of the
Arab Human Rights Movement: Prospects for the Future, Casablanca and at
the same time it is an implementation to one of its recommendations. One
of the most important of those recommendations was the organisation of an
international conference on Human Rights Education in the Arab World to
evaluate the achievements of our movement in this regard and translate our
reflections on the future to concrete recommendations and plans.

The UN High Commissioner promised to support the conference. Also, the
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network decided to support the conference
and to communicate its recommendations to the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of
the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership that planned to be held in Marseilles,
November 2000.

The envisaged conference will coincide with the end of the first half of
the UN Decade of Human Rights Education. Therefore, it represents an
occasion to evaluate the achievements realised during the last half and to
assess what has already been done in the Arab region in this respect and
to draw the relevant strategies in this field. However, this conference
also emphasis on assessing the current endeavours and to evaluate their
relevance to the actual needs of the targeted audience in the region.

It will gather about 100 Arab and international experts. Observers from
regions that have similar experiences and/or similar conditions such as
Africa, Asia and Latin America will be invited. Also, European observers
will be invited to reflect the experience of the major actors in the
field. CIHRS will ask some of most prominent Arab experts to write papers
on the conference themes, which are:

1. To evaluate achievements realized during the first half of the UN
Decade for HRE and examine ways of consolidating it in the second half.
2. To assess methodologies and endeavours carried out by Arab Human Rights
NGOs and institutions including watchdog groups as well as development and
grassroots NGOs.
3.  To evaluate governmental initiatives in this regard, especially in
tertiary education, with special reference to Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia
in addition to examining ways of reinforcing cooperation between
governments and NGOs.
4. To assess the influence of the dominant political culture, including
Islamic fundamentalism, on HRE endeavours.
5. To evaluate the role played by religious institutions, the impact of
religious intolerance on HRE and to address the prevalent religious
culture.
6. To assess the impact restrictions have on the freedom of information
and press in the Arab world and examine ways to overcome these impediments
(establishing TV channels, radio stations and publishing magazines for the
public audience).
7. To assess the implications of human rights manipulation in
international politics on HRE.
8. To explore the role literature and fine arts can play in HRE.

The recommendations of the conference will constitute a "plan of action"
for the Arab human rights movement. Also, they will indicate the points of
strength as well as weaknesses in the Arab practices in this field. A
bilingual book will be published to include the proceedings of the
conference and its recommendations.

If you need further details please don't hesitate to contact me.

Best regards.

Bahey El Din Hassan
Director CIHRS
Cairo, Egypt

--
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies "CIHRS"

tel: +202 794 37 15 / 795 11 12
fax +202 795 4 200

9 Rustom St. Garden City- 7th floor
flat 35 Cairo- Egypt

mailing address: P.O.Box 117 Magles Al Shaab
11516 Cairo -Egypt



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