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

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is good and important that Kazunari reminds us that on 10 December
2004, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the World Program for Human
Rights Education. Its first phase (2005-2007) is focusing on human rights
education in primary and secondary school systems.

I have read very carefully what my good friends Jeff Plantilla and Pablo
Zavala have said as well the interesting remarks of Patrick Karanja and
Abdul Waheed Hamid, which I don't know personally.

Let me react and say the following.

1. I have the feeling that we are advancing in promoting human rights
education all over the world. Last year I was in a Latin American meeting
on HRE in Brazil and I realized that much has been done. However I am not
sure that we could link this advance to the World Program for Human Rights
Education.

2. I will raise the following hypothesis: If we would ask officials in the
Ministry of Education in charge of HRE programs if they know of the
existence of the World Program for Human Rights Education, I would assume
that only very few would know about it. If we will ask teachers, I will
assume that almost nobody have heard about the World Program for Human
Rights Education.

3. If I were right with my assumptions, I would recommend that NGOs should
commit to challenge the government to be accountable with their compromise
with HRE and with the World Program. It is my opinion that the main
responsible to make the World Program work is the State. The NGOs should
be responsible to demand the State to fulfill its promise.

4. Let us strengthen our human rights network being vigilant by insisting
that the government will provide the human and financial support to make
the World Program for Human Rights Education work. We have the ethical and
political capacity, competence and power to make this demand.

Abraham Magendzo K 
Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in HRE Universidad Academia de
Humanismo Cristiano 
Chile





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