[hr-education] Re: First phase of the World Programme for HRE

Dear friend: 

Thank you for your e-mail and your concerns about the World Programme for
Human Rights Education. Let me tell you that since the proclamation of the
WPHRE by the UN General Assembly until now my institution and mayself have
been interested in it's implementation. In that sense, in 2005, as a
member of the board of directors of my institution (Peruvian Institute for
Human Rights Education and Peace, IPEDEHP), together with members of the
National Council for Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice, we held a
meeting with Mr. Sota Nadal, ex Minister of Education and put into his
hands the UN documents. Apparently he wasn't informed about the World
Plan. We also know that, after that, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, Director
General of UNESCO, together with Mrs. Louise Arbour, United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, sent him a letter, dated 9 January 2006,
requesting information about initiatives related to the implementation of
the Plan of Action. We don't know if the Minister answered that letter.

As far as we know, anything or very little has been done by the Ministry
of Education concerning the implementation of the Plan. I have had the
chance to be in contact with Dr. Vernor Muñoz, UN Special
Rapporteur on the Right of Education, and I can tell you that he is
extremely concerned about this situation, and not only in Peru, but around
the world. It's a pity, particularly, because it shows the little or total
lack of interest from our States and goverments about HRE and at the same
time it's an irresponsible attitude towards our people and the UN as such.

I do agree with you that something has to be done. At this moment I think
that the UN Human Rights Council and UNESCO should seek some mechanisms to
surpass this problem.

Truly yours, 

Pablo Zavala Sarrio 
IPEDEHP 




On 2007/02/08, at 10:05 AM, Kazunari Fujii wrote: 

> 
> As you know, on 10 December 2004, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 
> the World Programme for Human Rights Education. Its first phase 
> (2005-2007) is focusing on human rights education in primary and 
> secondary school systems. However, the Plan of Action of the World 
> Programme became available only in July 2005, and took further time to 
> be announced worldwide, which still needs to continue to have it known 
> better and more widely. Under these circumstances, the first couple of 
> years practically seem to have been lost before the Plan of Action be 
> known better. 
> 
> The NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education & Learning is a group 
> of NGOs in Geneva, principally in consultative status with the UN 
> ECOSOC, and is part of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative 
> Relations with the UN (CONGO). The main objective of the NGO Working 
> Group on Human Rights Education & Learning is to ensure that NGOs 
> participate in the global policy-making process on human rights 
> education within the UN institutions. 
> 
> The NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education & Learning would like 
> to hear your comments on how the first phase of the World Programme
> has been recognised and if the remaining period of the first phase 
> (2005-2007) would be enough to carry out relevant activities along 
> with the Plan of Action for the first phase of the World Programme. I 
> would like to draw your attention to the fact that the World Programme 
> is a standing programme without any particular end, but only each 
> phase of the World Programme has a specific time-frame to focus on a 
> particular sector which is supposed to be for 3-5 years for each. The 
> themes of the following sectors after the first phase are not yet 
> determined, and are supposed to be determined by the Human Rights 
> Council, the main human rights body of the UN which is still in the
> process of institutionalisation to be fully operational. 
> 
> Looking forward to your comments, 
> 
> Thank you very much for your attention. 
> 
> Yours Cordially, 
> 
> Kazunari Fujii
> Chair 
> NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education & Learning 
> Geneva 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~ 
> 
> Kazunari Fujii 
> SGI UN Liaison Office 
> Geneva 






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