[hr-education] UN Commission on Human Rights and HRE (2)

Dear all,

The following is information I want to share with you particularly
focusing on human rights education at the current annual session of the UN
Commission on Human Rights.


NGO JOINT ORAL STATEMENT TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGTHS EDUCATION

As in previous years, NGOs in Geneva are preparing a joint statement to
read out at the plenary session of the Commission.

This year, the statement points out:

- a number of essential intentions of the World Programme for Human Rights
Education in accordance with the text of the draft Plan of Action for the
first phase;
- vital importance of an educational approach to prevent human rights
violations that is apparent and increasing in the UN human rights
activities;
- NGO proposal to modify the title of the Commission’s Agenda Item 17 (c)
“Information and education” under which human rights education has been
dealt with more than 10 years, and the new title would read, “Human rights
education and public information”.  The current title is even confusing
with the issues of the right to education which is dealt with under Agenda
Item 10.

The entire text will be distributed on HREA's Global HRE List after the
statement is read out at the Commission.

NGOs in consultative status with the UN ECOSOC and present in Geneva now
for the Commission are welcome to consider joining this NGO statement. The
text has been already finalised.

The Commission will debate on Item 17 (a) - (d) on 11 and 12 April
according to the planned schedule. Around those days the NGO joint
statement will be read out, if the schedule does not change.


MEETINGS HELD WITH THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION

1.      13:00-15:00, 30 March

For NGOs, a general briefing of the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on the
Right to Education, Mr. Vernor Muñoz, was organised by the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Part of the bottom line of his approach to realisation of the right to
education is “human rights education is a prerequisite for quality
education”.  He also took up an aspect of the right to education in
emergency situations such as natural disasters, armed conflicts and
occupations.

He pays close attention to the disadvantaged groups of persons such as
migrants, indigenous people, disabled persons ("persons in different
capacities" in his words), as well as persons belonging to other
minorities, and girls.

He is going to focus on the right to education for girls, too, in his next
report.

For detail, I strongly suggest to study his report, UN document,
E/CN.4/2005/50, downloadable from the website of the OHCHR, the
Commission on Human Rights,
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/sessions/61/documents.htm
or directly at:
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G04/171/40/PDF/G0417140.pdf?OpenElement (PDF document).

2.      13:30-15:00, 31 March

NGO meeting on the right to education and human rights education, with
participation of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, was
organised by NGOs in Geneva, co-sponsored by the Special Committee of NGOs
on Human Rights. OHCHR human rights officer in charge of human rights
education also supported this meeting with an update on the World
Programme and timely Revised draft Plan of Action of the first phase of
the World Programme for Human Rights Education.

The small meeting room was packed with more than 50 NGO participants.

Human rights in school systems, the World Programme for Human Rights
Education, were discussed, and the Special Rapporteur expressed his
perception on the inter-relation between the right to education and human
rights education. Interactively with the NGO participants, he emphasised,
among others, the quality of education and human rights education both
must aim at developing cognitive skills and values grounded in human
rights learning, and that human development is to realise the human
dignity of each person.  He also pointed to the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as the
basic legal instruments on human rights to be incorporated in realisation
of the right to education and human rights education in appropriate
manners – not to mention, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and
many other relevant human rights instruments as well.

Mrs. Ingeborg Breines, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Geneva,
also made her presentation on human rights education and the World
Programme for Human Rights Education, referring to their important role to
contribute to the realisation of the right to education.  Together with
the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNESCO is expected
to help coordination for implementation of the first phase of the World
Programme in each country for human rights education in primary and
secondary school, which is also one of the major parts of the UNESCO’s
mandate.

Discussion covered also the points:

- The first phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education is
aiming not only at human rights education for children but also learning
and training of teachers and all related personnel of the education sector
since the first phase reads "school systems" and not "school children" as
clearly provided in detail in the draft Plan of Action.
- Human Rights Education must be promoted not only by teaching but also by
leaning.

Relating to the point above, the Global Appeal for Human Rights Leaning
was presented to explore a bit more the aspect of human rights learning.
The text of this appeal can be found at: www.pdhre.org

Mr. Muñoz is hoping and willing to receive any useful information and
views of NGOs in order to fulfil his mandate for full realisation of the
right to education worldwide.


*****
Kazunari Fujii
SGI UN Liaison Office, Geneva




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