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

Dear All, 

The World Programme for HRE is a great initiative and an inspiration
towards national and international cooperation in nurturing a culture of
human rights in the world. From one perspective it seems like a
technocratic academic activity without measurable practical benefits
especially in the so-called third world countries. But the beauty of the
World Programme for HRE is that it seeks to systematically enhance greater
public participation towards refining our values system and transforming
our countries into human rights states. Already alot is being done, for
example in Kenya, to develop the national action plan on human rights, to
entrench HRE in school curriculum, to designate HRE programme in NGOs, and
to establish or enhance performance of national human rights institutions.

The objectives of the World Programme for HRE can be summarized as being
to:

* Promote development of a culture of human rights. 
* Promote common understanding based on international instruments, of 
basic principles and methodologies for HRE. 
* Ensure focus on HRE at national, regional, and international level.
* Provide a common framework for action by all actors. 
* Enhance partnership and cooperation at all levels. 
* To learn from existing HRE modules, share on successful practices, and 
to innovate new approaches. 

(see http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/programme.htm
; see also our digest for the World Programme
http://www.freewebs.com/yrfresources/worldprogrammeforhre.htm )

The focus of the first phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme for HRE is
on primary and secondary schools. The nobility of this approach cannot be
over-emphasised. My approach towards realization of the objectives of the
World Programme is to encourage innovative initiatives and new approaches
to develop a rights-based approach in addressing specific practical human
rights predicaments in various societies. We must urgently learn to move
beyond conferences and board rooms to the villages, where human rights
education is desperately needed.

While curriculum reforms and entrenchment of HRE in the school system
gives children basic ideas about human rights, this alone cannot be
accurately said to be facilitating effective HRE. An examination culture
does not necessary bring a change of attitude, which HRE is basically
about. While these curriculum initiatives are welcomed, we must quickly
come up with new action-oriented approaches to enhance interconnection
between human rights and what is happening in the society. A case scenario
is that a student may get an 'A' in human rights course examination and
yet human rights values have no meaning to that student. We must then not
rest merely because we have a HRE curriculum, training manual, or
simplified version of this or that law. From my perspective, the best way
to conclude the first phase of the World Programme is to think of new
strategies to encourage and build the capacity of young people to become
key actors in the human rights discourse in their countries and globally.
It is not enough to ensure that there are laws guaranteeing human rights
for the youths and children and that there is a HRE curriculum. We must
further encourage young people to come up with their own initiative that
advance their best interests and their human rights agenda. Further, we
must create sufficient space for them to actively participate as
stakeholders in the national, regional, and global human rights discourse.
We must learn to make decision with the young people rather than on their
behalf. Perhaps the reason why HRE still remains vague is because we have
failed to as much as possible fully bring onboard all members of the
community in its development, especially the youths who are the only hope
of sustainabiltiy of our current undertakings.

In conclusion, we must accept that knowledge on the international,
regional and domestic systems on human rights only makes sense to the
elite and a few of us who are privileged to have a human rights law
background. We are therefore charged with a great responsbility to digest
these complex principles and create forums for our people (grassroot
communities and national movements) to find the relevance of these
doctrines in their daily lives. Further, we must create opportunity for
greater public participation and encourage all people (especially youths
and women) to come up with new approaches in addressing perennial human
rights predicaments. If you ask me, the UN system has done its job - a
good job at that - in developing an international guideline for HRE. But
unless we the actors take the debate further to our people, the World
Programme (like the Decade) may fail to realistically accomplish its very
noble objectives. And this is a task we cannot afford to fail....

There is still great opportunity for us to create awareness and to do more
in making the objectives of the World Programme a reality globally... But
maybe we need to rethink our strategies. One starting point maybe that the
major actors need to develop realistic approaches in publicising and
implementing the World Programme. Indeed a word of caution here is in
order: While we encourage partnership and build the capacity of existing
organisations to undertake this task, we must (very importantly) recognise
the need to support new organisations and initiatives that are working to
enhance realization of the objectives of the World Programme. Thus the
donor community, funders, UNDP, HRE IGOs, established NGOs and other
actors MUST support start-up HRE organisations or projects without (as is
currently the case) preliminarily disqualifying them on basis of
non-profit status or other bureaucratic formalities. The future of HRE
(like other initiatives seeking change of systems) lies in encouraging
innovation and greater public partcipation, especially of the youths and
women everywhere in the world.

Warm Regards, 

Patrick Karanja 
Executive Director, 
Youth Rights Forum International - Nairobi, Kenya 

www.freewebs.com/yhrkenya 

"Rights-Based Youth Empowerment" 





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