Background
The Human Rights Council will be addressing human rights education in its upcoming 10th session (Geneva, 2?7 March 2009). It will discuss specifically a Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training that is under development, and the follow-up to the current World Programme for Human Rights Education. (http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/10session/reports.htm)
The Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)* has developed a statement for the Council for which it would like to seek support and endorsement of civil society organisations from around the world.
The Statement
Full text of the statement is available at: http://www.hrea.org/statement-HRC-Feb2009.pdf, main points of which are summarised herewith. If you agree with the statement, please inform HREA, by Monday, 16 February 2009, by following the steps indicated further below. Thank you.
The main points of the statement are,
I. Draft UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training
Call upon the Human Rights Council to ensure that when the draft UN declaration is prepared, the following views be fully reflected in the text:
(1) Concept and Definition
The declaration, as a new international human rights standard, should provide a clear definition of human rights education. As human rights education encompasses all human rights, such definition should remain broad.
(2) Accountability / Duty-bearers and rights-holders
Over the course of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education and the WPHRE, the question of accountability has often been raised. The declaration should clarify the concept of duty-bearers and rights-holders regarding implementation of human rights education and training.
The declaration should also include references to international obligations that States have to train government personnel adequately in human rights. A human rights-based framework should be part of all human rights education, schooling, learning and training.
(3) Monitoring system
To the maximum degree feasible, the declaration should provide for monitoring to ensure implementation by duty-bearers.
(4) Financial resources
The declaration should contain a provision for financial resources. It could, for example, stipulate the responsibility of governments to include human rights education and training in annual national budgetary planning.
(5) The role of civil society and NGOs
Through all experiences and surveys of the UN Decade and the first phase of the WPHRE, it is evident that civil society actors and NGOs, irrespective of their consultative status with the UN, are the main contributors. It is imperative that the importance of supporting their involvement and efforts toward the implementation of human rights education and training be clearly stated in the declaration.
II. World Programme for Human Rights Education
(1) Evaluation Process of the First Phase (2005-2009)
In preparing for the final national evaluation report, we would like to call upon the Human Rights Council to ensure that all Member States commit to the following actions:
(i) To further assist and collaborate with all stakeholders, particularly NGOs and other civil society actors, for gathering information relevant to the first phase.
(ii) To maintain efforts for implementation of human rights education in primary and secondary school systems even after the conclusion of the first phase.
(2) Second Phase (2010-further)
Urge the Human Rights Council to take action as soon as possible to determine a sector/area to be focused upon as well as drafting a plan of action for the second phase.
III. Special Procedures of Human Rights Council
Call upon the Member States to consider expanding the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education to formally include human rights education as well as to establish a Special Rapporteur on (the Right to) Human Rights Education.
* HREA (www.hrea.org) – an international non-governmental organisation that supports human rights learning; the training of activists and professionals; the development of educational materials and programming; and community-building through on-line technologies.
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HOW TO ENDORSE THE JOINT SUBMISSION
Deadline: Monday, 16 February 24h00 (GMT/UTC).
To endorse the joint submission, please reply to this e-mail (frank.elbers@hrea.org) in a specific manner as explained below.
Depending on whether your organisation is in consultative status with the UN ECOSOC or not, please read the applicable explanation, A or B, described as follows (in either case, your organisation can join the statement):
A. FOR ORGANISATIONS in CONSULTATIVE STATUS with the UN ECOSOC
(1) Provide the official and full name of your organisation with acronyms if available
– If the official name is in English, please use the English name
– If the official name is only one in other language, please use the name in that language.
– In either case, precisely the same name as registered with the UN database on NGOs only is acceptable.
(2) State the type of the status (i.e., General, Special, or Roster).
(3) State in your reply by email, ” would like to endorse this joint NGO written statement for joint submission to the 10th session of the UN Human Rights Council”.
B. FOR ORGANISATIONS WITHOUT CONSULTATIVE STATUS with the UN ECOSOC
(1) Provide the official and full name of your organisation with acronyms if available
– If the official name is in English, please use the English name
– If the official name is only one in other language, please use the name in that language.
(2) Add “(Without consultative status)” under the name of your organisation.
(3) State in your reply by email, ” would like to endorse this joint NGO written statement for joint submission to the 10th session of the UN Human Rights Council”.
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