Dear members, Below you will find the draft summary of the recommendations for activities at the sub-regional (for example, Southeast Asia) and regional (for example, Latin America) levels to follow-up the Decade for HRE. We have also included separately recommendations for activities at the national and local levels, which were submitted in the recent week. We encourage you to read these summaries and add your comments as soon as possible, as the Forum will conclude on Friday, 13 December. --------------------------------------------- FOLLOW-UP AT SUB-REGIONAL AND REGIONAL LEVELS TO DECADE FOR HRE List members commented on strategies and needs for Latin America/the Americas, the Arab region, and Southeast Asia. These strategies were linked with the status of HRE at the national level in their respective regions. HRE at the national level is strong in Latin America, and has been carried out since the 1980s. There are active networks for those involved in human rights and human rights education. These national efforts and networks are largely taking place in the non-governmental sector. By contrast, a member from Southeast Asia felt that the HRE effort for the region was generally very weak, with the exception of the work being carried out in the Philippines and Thailand. List members recognised both the particular challenges and opportunities for HRE within their regions. Based on these observations, they proposed differing solutions for enhancing the position of HRE. The regional HRE effort in Latin America could be strengthened by creating stronger links between Latin America networks and international/North American ones -- a solution that might involve overcoming a language barrier. It was also suggested that governments should become more involved in supporting HRE, introducing it into the central curriculum. Finally, structural problems --including poverty, inequity and injustice-- were mentioned as prevailing conditions that had to be faced on a daily basis. A participant pointed to a lack of "structural" governmental support for HRE, among both national and international bodies in the Arab World. The strategy adopted by his regional HRE group has been cultural in nature: to demonstrate how Arab culture is consistent with human rights principles and values. "All cultures, including the Western cultures, should make their best effort to settle their own internal contradictions to be consistent with the universal values of human rights." Regional conferences have been organised to help develop this common understanding among Arab representatives, and resulted in the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights Education and Dissemination. Other strategies proposed to help reduce cultural barriers to the human rights value system in the Arabic region are: (i) recognising that HRE is a crucial dimension in political and constitutional reform; (ii) creating innovative and attractive approaches to HRE --including use of the visual arts, theatre and the humanities --to inspire human consciousness and to relate to everyday life; (iii) seeking shared points between human rights values and Arab cultural and religious traditions. The last point will involve the leadership of intellectuals and religious scholars. It was recommended that in Southeast Asia civil society actors already --or potentially-- active in HRE form strategic coalitions and alliances to promote HRE through formal, nonformal and informal educational approaches. "Our cultures have taught us to value cooperation," according to a participant from Southeast Asia. Civil society organisations mentioned included not only NGOs, but also people's organisations, intellectuals, religious communities, the media and the business community. ***************** FOLLOW-UP TO DECADE FOR HRE AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS - ADDENDUM AREAS OF GAINS, INSPIRED BY THE DECADE FOR HRE Structural/Policy: Through an agreement between the Ministry of Education and a regional HRE organisation, a national network of human rights educators was created in Panama. In South Africa, the Human Rights Commission and NGOs in the Human Rights Education Forum meet provincially on a monthly basis to discuss and plan HRE projects. Human rights education there is included as a cross-curricular subject for primary and secondary schools. Activities: In South Africa, NGOs and the government have repeatedly organised public awareness campaigns on human rights issues, especially on National Human Rights Day (21 March) and International Human Rights Day (10 December). At some universities, law students train teachers and/or secondary students to teach about law, human rights and democracy. In Panama a training of trainers program will be organised using newly created national network of human rights educators. In Belarus there has been some publication of educational materials and information about the U.N. system, with plans to post on a website. AREAS OF LIMITATIONS A lack of government-supported teaching materials and training opportunities for teachers, along with an overcrowded curriculum and administrator resistance, has limited the implementation of HRE as a cross-curricular subject within the central curriculum in many counties (South Africa was mentioned as an example). In Belarus no handbooks or opportunities to train teachers in HRE exist. Another barrier to HRE are non-democratic government, and a generally low legal and political culture (e.g. Belarus). RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE HRE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL NGOs: Information dissemination, including partnerships with mass media. Reaching out to teachers. (Belarus) National government: Governments could facilitating Internet access for all secondary schools to increase access to information, facilitate global exchanges, and promote a global human rights culture. United Nations: It was suggested that the Decade should be followed by another Decade for Human Rights Education. "Creating a global human rights culture should be the goal for the XXI century." Another list member wrote that at a recent regional seminar it was proposed that the Decade for Human Rights Education be followed by a Decade for Democracy Education. ======== Global Human Rights Education listserv ======== Send mail intended for the list to <hr-education@hrea.org>. 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