Plan of Action

Plan of Action

World Programme for Human Rights Education First Phase

Offi ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations

New York and Geneva, 2006

Plan of Action

World Programme for Human Rights Education First Phase

Offi ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations

Foreword

The international community is increasingly adopting intergovernmental frameworks at the global level, such as the World Programme for Human Rights Education (from 2005 onwards), which aim at encouraging the development of sustainable national strategies and programmes in human rights education. In particular, the Plan of Action for the first phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme, which is contained in this booklet, focuses on the integration of human rights education in primary and secondary school systems.

This international trend highlights a consensus that the education system plays a vital role in fostering respect, participation, equality and non-discrimination in our societies. For the education system to play such a role, a comprehensive approach to implementing human rights education, addressing not only educational policies, processes and tools but also the environment within which education takes place, is needed.

It is important to bear in mind, however, that international programmes can only support – and not substitute for – committed, vigorous and concerted national action. Ultimately, United Nations programmes acquire real value only if national and local actors take responsibility for implementing them in their communities, and use them as mobilization and advocacy tools.

The Plan of Action for the first phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme was adopted by all United Nations Member States in July 2005. It proposes a concrete strategy and practical guidance for implementing human rights education in primary and secondary schools.

This document is now in your hands. We hope it will provide ideas for developing new initia- tives, expanding those already existing and enhancing cooperation and partnership at all levels.

We would like to appeal to all to get involved and participate in global human rights education efforts; the realization of human rights is our common responsibility, and its achievement will depend entirely on the contribution that each and every one of us is willing to make.

Louise Arbour Koïchiro Matsuura

United Nations High Commissioner Director-General of the United Nations for Human Rights Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization

Material contained in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, provid- ed credit is given and a copy of the publication containing the reprinted material is sent to OHCHR and UNESCO.

Correspondence regarding this publication should be addressed to:

Methodology, Education and Training Unit Research and Right to Development Branch

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations

Avenue de la Paix 8-14 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland and

Section of Education for Peace and Human Rights Division for the Promotion of Quality Education Education Sector

UNESCO 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France

Printed at UNESCO in Paris ED-2006/WS/53 - cld 25238

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Foreword

The Plan of Action for 2005-2007 in brief ... 1

Plan of action for the first phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education ... 9

I. Introduction ... 11

A. Context and definition of human rights education ... 11

B. Objectives of the World Programme for Human Rights Education ... 13

C. Principles for human rights education activities ... 14

II. The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems ... 15

A. Context ... 15

B. Human rights education in the school system ... 17

C. Specific objectives of the plan of action ... 20

III. Implementation strategy at the national level ... 21

A. Introduction ... 21

B. Stages of the implementation strategy ... 22

C. Minimum action ... 25

D. Actors ... 25

E. Funding ... 27

IV. Coordination of the implementation of the plan of action ... 29

A. National level ... 29

B. International level ... 30

V. International cooperation and support ... 33

VI. Evaluation ... 35

Appendix: Components of human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems ... 37

Annexes ... 53

I. General Assembly resolution 59/113 A of 10 December 2004, proclaiming the World Programme for Human Rights Education. ... 53

II. General Assembly resolution 59/113 B of 14 July 2005, adopting the revised draft plan of action for the first phase (2005–2007) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education ... 55

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The Plan of Action for 2005-2007 in brief

Th is section summarizes the Plan of Action for the fi rst phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education. It highlights key actions to be undertaken by ministries of education and other school and civil society actors working in partnership to integrate human rights education eff ectively in the pri- mary and secondary school systems. Th e Plan of Action was adopted by all Mem- ber States of the United Nations General Assembly on 14 July 2005.¹

I.

Human rights education can be defi ned as education, training and information aimed at building a universal culture of human rights. A comprehensive education in human rights not only provides knowledge about human rights and the mecha- nisms that protect them, but also imparts the skills needed to promote, defend and apply human rights in daily life. Human rights education fosters the attitudes and behaviours needed to uphold human rights for all members of society.

Human rights education activities should convey fundamental human rights prin- ciples, such as equality and non-discrimination, while affi rming their interdepen- dence, indivisibility and universality. At the same time, activities should be practi- cal - relating human rights to learners’ real-life experience and enabling them to build on human rights principles found in their own cultural context. Th rough such activities, learners are empowered to identify and address their human rights needs and to seek solutions consistent with human rights standards. Both what is taught and the way in which it is taught should refl ect human rights values, en- courage participation and foster a learning environment free from want and fear.

1. General Assembly resolution 59/113 B (see annex II below).

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but also strengthens the child’s capacity to enjoy the full range of human rights and promotes a culture which is infused by human rights values.

Human rights education promotes a holistic, rights-based approach that includes both “human rights through education,” ensuring that all the components and processes of education – including curricula, materials, methods and training – are conducive to the learning of human rights, and “human rights in education,” ensur- ing that the human rights of all members of the school community are respected.

Although many factors contribute to eff ective integration of this approach in pri- mary and secondary schools, research and experience worldwide have identifi ed fi ve key components for success:

1. Educational policies. Understood as statements of commitment on the part of a Government, educational policies - including legislation, plans of action, curricula, training policies and so on - should explicitly promote a rights- based approach to education. Th ese statements infuse human rights through- out the education system. Policies are developed in a participatory manner in cooperation with all stakeholders and fulfi l a country’s international treaty obligations to provide and promote quality education, such as those called for in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

2. Policy implementation. To be eff ective, policies need a consistent imple- mentation strategy, including measures such as the allocation of adequate re sources and the setting-up of coordination mechanisms, that ensures coher- ence, monitoring and accountability. Such a strategy should take into account the multiplicity of stakeholders at both the national level (e.g., ministry of education, teacher training institutions, research bodies, non-governmental organizations) and the local level (e.g., local government, head teachers and their staff , parents and students), and involve them in putting educational policy into practice.

3. Th e learning environment. Human rights education strives towards an en- vironment where human rights are practised and lived in the daily life of the whole school community. As well as cognitive learning, human rights educa- tion includes the social and emotional development of all those involved in Why a World Programme for Human Rights Education?

On 10 December 2004, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing) to advance the implementation of human rights education programmes in all sectors.² Building on the foundations laid during the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), this new initiative refl ects the international com- munity’s increasing recognition that human rights education produces far-reaching results. By promoting respect for human dignity and equality and participation in democratic decision-making, human rights education contributes to the long-term prevention of abuses and violent confl icts.

To help make human rights a reality in every community, the World Programme seeks to promote a common understanding of the basic principles and methodologies of hu- man rights education, to provide a concrete framework for action and to strengthen partnerships and cooperation from the international level down to the grass roots.

II.

Unlike the limited time frame of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), the World Programme is structured around an ongoing series of phases, the fi rst of which covers the period 2005-2007 and focuses on the primary and secondary school systems. Developed by a broad group of education and human rights practitioners from all continents, the Plan of Action for the fi rst phase proposes a concrete strategy and practical ideas for implementing human rights education nationally. Its key elements are highlighted below.

A “rights-based approach” to education

Human rights education is widely considered to be integral to every child’s right to a quality education, one that not only teaches reading, writing and arithmetic,

2. General Assembly resolution 59/113 A (see annex I below).

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• By promoting learning environments that are inclusive and that foster equal opportunities, diversity and non-discrimination, human rights educa- tion supports access to and participation in schooling;

• By supporting the social and emotional development of the child and by fostering democratic values, human rights education contributes to social cohesion and confl ict prevention.

A concrete strategy for national action

To encourage and support human rights education in primary and secondary school systems, the Plan of Action assumes a process of change involving simulta- neous actions in several areas, especially the fi ve key components described above.

It recognizes that the situation of human rights education in school systems diff ers widely from country to country, from well-developed policies and actions to little or none. Whatever the status of human rights education or the situation or type of education system, the development of human rights education should be on each country’s education agenda. Each country should establish realistic goals and means for action in accordance with its national context, priorities and capacity.

Th e Plan of Action proposes four stages for the national process of planning, im- plementation and evaluation of human rights education in the school system (i.e., the “national implementation strategy”).

Stage 1: Where are we? - Analyse the current situation of human rights education in the school system.

Th is fi rst stage calls for a national study on human rights education in the school system. With wide dissemination and discussion, this report can serve as a basis for developing a national implementation strategy for human rights education in stage 2.

Stage 2: Where do we want to go and how? - Set priorities and develop a national implementation strategy.

Th e strategy developed in this stage addresses the fi ve key components (i.e., edu- cational policies, policy implementation, the learning environment, teaching and learning, education and professional development) and focuses on issues that can the learning and teaching process. A rights-based environment respects and

promotes the human rights of all school actors and is characterized by mutual understanding, respect and responsibility. It enables children to express their views freely and to participate in school life, and off ers them appropriate op- portunities for interacting with the wider community.

4. Teaching and learning. Introducing or improving human rights education requires a holistic approach to teaching and learning that refl ects human rights values. Starting as early as possible, human rights concepts and prac- tices are integrated into all aspects of education. For example, curriculum content and objectives are rights-based, methodologies are democratic and participatory, and all materials and textbooks are consistent with human rights values.

5. Education and professional development of school personnel. For the school to serve as a model of human rights learning and practice, all teachers and staff need to be able to both transmit and model human rights values. Education and professional development must foster educators’ knowledge about, com- mitment to and motivation for human rights. Furthermore, as rights-holders themselves, school personnel need to work and learn in a context of respect for their dignity and rights.

Practical guidance on how to implement these fi ve components in the school sys- tem is provided in the appendix to the Plan of Action.

Should human rights education be a national priority?

By providing a set of guiding principles to support educational reform and helping to respond to current challenges faced by education systems worldwide, human rights education can improve the national education system’s overall eff ectiveness, which in turn plays a fundamental role in economic, social and political development. In particular:

• By promoting child-centred and participatory teaching and learning, hu- man rights education improves the quality of learning achievements;

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Other key national agencies should also be involved in all stages of planning and implementation, especially educational research institutions, teachers’ unions and professional organizations, legislative bodies and national committees for inter- governmental organizations. It is also suggested that additional stakeholders, such as other ministries, youth organizations, the media, religious institutions, com- munity leaders, minority groups and the business community, should be involved to ensure eff ective implementation.

What are the coordination mechanisms?

Th e Plan of Action recommends a sequence of coordination mechanisms from the national level to the international level.

At the national level, ministries of education are invited to create or designate a unit within their structure responsible for coordinating the development and monitoring of the national implementation strategy for human rights education in the school system. Th is unit will also be responsible for liaising with the United Nations. Every country is also encouraged to identify and support a resource centre for collecting and disseminating related initiatives and information (good practices from diverse contexts and countries, educational materials, events).

At the international level, the Plan of Action proposes the creation of a United Na- tions inter-agency coordinating committee, composed of the Offi ce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Na- tions Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other relevant international agencies. With the Offi ce of the High Commissioner providing its secretariat, this committee will meet regularly to fol- low up on the implementation of the Plan of Action, mobilize resources and sup- port actions at country level, as well as ensure United Nations system-wide support to the national implementation strategy. United Nations entities that monitor a country’s compliance with its treaty obligations and other relevant United Nations mechanisms will be called upon to emphasize and report on progress in human rights education in the school system.

have a sustainable impact. It sets realistic objectives and priorities and anticipates at least some implementation during 2005-2007.

Stage 3: Getting there - Implement and monitor activities.

In this stage, the national implementation strategy is widely disseminated and put into practice. Its progress is monitored using fi xed milestones. Outcomes will vary according to national priorities, but might include legislation, new or revised learning materials and methodologies, training courses or non-discriminatory pol- icies protecting all members of the school community.

Stage 4: Did we get there and with what success? - Evaluate.

Using evaluation as a means of both accountability and learning for the future, this stage calls for an assessment of what the implementation strategy has accomplished. It results in a report on the national implementation strategy for human rights education in schools, with recommendations for future action based on lessons learned.

During this fi rst phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme, Member States are encouraged to undertake, as a minimum, stages 1 and 2 and initiate stage 3. Work in this area would then continue beyond the World Programme’s fi rst phase.

Funding for human rights education could be found among the resources allocated to the national education system in general, and in particular by optimizing funds already committed to quality education, coordinating external funds based on the actions set out in this Plan of Action and creating partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Who should be involved?

As ministries of education (or equivalent institutions) have the main responsibility for primary and secondary education, the implementation strategy proposed in the Plan of Action addresses their functions, such as educational policy develop- ment, programme planning, research, teacher training, development and dissemi- nation of materials. However, others should be involved in the implementation of the Plan of Action, namely teachers training institutions, national human rights institutions, teachers’ associations, non-governmental organizations, parents’ and students’ associations, and so on.

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Plan of action for

the first phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education

At the conclusion of the fi rst phase (2005-2007) of the World Programme, each country will evaluate its actions and report to the United Nations inter-agency coordinating committee. On the basis of these reports, the committee will prepare a fi nal report for the General Assembly in 2008.

What kind of support is available from the United Nations?

Th e national implementation strategies of Member States can be supported by international cooperation from the United Nations system and other international and regional intergovernmental organizations, organizations of ministers of edu- cation, non-governmental organizations and fi nancial institutions. Th e close col- laboration of these actors is indispensable to maximize resources, avoid duplication and ensure coherence.

Th ese bodies may assist in a variety of ways, for instance:

• In the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of the national im- plementation strategy, in direct contact with the ministries of education or other relevant national actors;

• By facilitating information-sharing at all levels, including through the iden- tifi cation, collection and dissemination of good practices as well as informa- tion about available materials, institutions and programmes;

• By encouraging the development of human rights education networks;

• By supporting training and research.

Introduction

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“Th e World Conference on Human Rights considers human rights edu- cation, training and public information essential for the promotion and achievement of stable and harmonious relations among communities and for fostering mutual understanding, tolerance and peace” (Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part II. D, para. 78).

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the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004 and its Plan of Action, encouraging the elaboration and implementation of compre- hensive, eff ective and sustainable strategies for human rights education at the national level, and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non- Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).

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(a) To promote the development of a culture of human rights;

(b) To promote a common understanding, based on international instru- ments, of basic principles and methodologies for human rights educa- tion;

(c) To ensure a focus on human rights education at the national, regional and international levels;

(d) To provide a common collective framework for action by all relevant ac- tors;

(e) To enhance partnership and cooperation at all levels;

(f) To take stock of and support existing human rights education pro- grammes, to highlight successful practices, and to provide an incentive to continue and/or expand them and to develop new ones.

and Programme of Action of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001 (Declaration, paras. 95-97 and Programme of Action, paras.

129-139).

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(a) Th e strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;

(b) Th e full development of the human personality and the sense of its dig- nity;

(c) Th e promotion of understanding, tolerance, gender equality and friend- ship among all nations, indigenous peoples and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups;

(d) Th e enabling of all persons to participate eff ectively in a free and demo- cratic society governed by the rule of law;

(e) Th e building and maintenance of peace;

(f) Th e promotion of people-centred sustainable development and social jus- tice.

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(a) Knowledge and skills — learning about human rights and mechanisms for their protection, as well as acquiring skills to apply them in daily life;

(b) Values, attitudes and behaviour — developing values and reinforcing at- titudes and behaviour which uphold human rights;

(c) Action — taking action to defend and promote human rights.

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The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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“Th e World Conference on Human Rights reaffi rms that States are duty- bound ... to ensure that education is aimed at strengthening the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms [and that] this should be integrated in the educational policies at the national as well as inter- national levels” (Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Part I, para. 33).

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(a) Promote the interdependence, indivisibility and universality of human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development;

(b) Foster respect for and appreciation of diff erences, and opposition to dis- crimination on the basis of race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, physical or mental condition, and on other bases;

(c) Encourage analysis of chronic and emerging human rights problems (in- cluding poverty, violent confl icts and discrimination), which would lead to solutions consistent with human rights standards;

(d) Empower communities and individuals to identify their human rights needs and to ensure that they are met;

(e) Build on the human rights principles embedded within the diff erent cul- tural contexts and take into account historical and social developments in each country;

(f) Foster knowledge of and skills to use local, national, regional and inter- national human rights instruments and mechanisms for the protection of human rights;

(g) Make use of participatory pedagogies that include knowledge, critical analysis and skills for action furthering human rights;

(h) Foster teaching and learning environments free from want and fear that encourage participation, enjoyment of human rights and the full develop- ment of the human personality;

(i) Be relevant to the daily life of the learners, engaging them in a dialogue about ways and means of transforming human rights from the expression of abstract norms to the reality of their social, economic, cultural and political conditions.

1. Th e section on the principles for human rights education activities is based on the guidelines for national plans of action for human rights education developed within the United Na- tions Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004 (A/52/469/Add.1 and Corr.1).

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The first phase (2005-2007):

a plan of action for human

rights education in the primary

and secondary school systems

The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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for Human Rights Education would create synergies with the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), coupling ef- forts to address issues of common concern.

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2. See United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization, Final Report of the World Education Forum, Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000, Paris, 2000.

3. According to general comment No. 1 (2001) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the aims of education, life skills include “the ability to make well-balanced decisions;

to resolve confl icts in a non-violent manner; and to develop a healthy lifestyle, good social relationships and responsibility, critical thinking, creative talents, and other abilities which give children the tools needed to pursue their options in life” (Offi cial Records of the Gen- eral Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 41 (A/57/41), annex VIII, appendix, para. 9).

4. UNESCO, “Education for Sustainability: from Rio to Johannesburg: lessons learned from a decade of commitment” (Paris, 2002).

The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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parents) to practise human rights through real-life activities. It enables children to express their views freely and to participate in school life;⁶ (d) Teaching and learning — all teaching and learning processes and tools are

rights-based (for instance, the content and objectives of the curriculum, participatory and democratic practices and methodologies, appropriate materials including the review and revision of existing textbooks, etc.);

(e) Education and professional development of teachers and other personnel

— providing the teaching profession and school leadership, through pre- and in-service training, with the necessary knowledge, understanding, skills and competencies to facilitate the learning and practice of human rights in schools, as well as with appropriate working conditions and status.

A detailed description of the fi ve components and related courses of action, to serve as a reference tool, is provided in the appendix.

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(a) Improved quality of learning achievements by promoting child-centred and participatory teaching and learning practices and processes, as well as a new role for the teaching profession;

(b) Increased access to and participation in schooling by creating a rights- based learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming and fosters universal values, equal opportunities, diversity and non-discrimination;

(c) A contribution to social cohesion and confl ict prevention by supporting the social and emotional development of the child and by introducing democratic citizenship and values.

6. General comment No. 1 also states that “Th e participation of children in school life, the creation of school communities and student councils, peer education and peer counsel- ling, and the involvement of children in school disciplinary proceedings should be pro- moted as part of the process of learning and experiencing the realization of rights” (ibid., para. 8).

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(a) “Human rights through education”: ensuring that all the components and processes of learning, including curricula, materials, methods and training are conducive to the learning of human rights;

(b) “Human rights in education”: ensuring the respect of the human rights of all actors, and the practice of rights, within the education system.

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(a) Policies — developing in a participatory way and adopting coherent edu- cational policies, legislation and strategies that are human rights-based, including curriculum improvement and training policies for teachers and other educational personnel;

(b) Policy implementation — planning the implementation of the above- mentioned educational policies by taking appropriate organizational measures and by facilitating the involvement of all stakeholders;

(c) Learning environment — the school environment itself respects and pro- motes human rights and fundamental freedoms. It provides the opportu- nity for all school actors (students, teachers, staff and administrators and

5. In general comment No. 1, the Committee on the Rights of the Child also stated that “it should be emphasized that the type of teaching that is focused primarily on accumulation of knowledge, prompting competition and leading to an excessive burden of work on children, may seriously hamper the harmonious development of the child to the fullest potential of his or her abilities and talents” (Offi cial Records of the General Assembly, Fifty- seventh Session, Supplement No. 41 (A/57/41), annex VIII, appendix, para. 12).

The first phase (2005-2007): a plan of action for human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems

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Implementation strategy at the national level

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Implementation strategy at the national level

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other countries may have national policies and programmes, but little imple- mentation; in other cases there may be grass-roots initiatives and projects in schools, often supported by international organizations, but not necessarily part of a national policy; other countries may be very supportive of human rights education with well-developed national policies and actions. Whatever the situation and the type of education system, the development or improve- ment of human rights education is to be on each country’s education agenda.

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(a) To promote the inclusion and practice of human rights in the primary and secondary school systems;

(b) To support the development, adoption and implementation of compre- hensive, eff ective and sustainable national human rights education strate- gies in school systems, and/or the review and improvement of existing initiatives;

(c) To provide guidelines on key components of human rights education in the school system;

(d) To facilitate the provision of support to Member States by international, regional, national and local organizations;

(e) To support networking and cooperation among local, national, regional and international institutions.

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(a) A defi nition of human rights education in the school system based on internationally agreed principles;

(b) A user-friendly guide to developing and/or improving human rights edu- cation in the school system, by proposing concrete actions for implemen- tation at the national level;

(c) A fl exible guide which can be adapted to diff erent contexts and situations and to diff erent types of education systems.

Implementation strateg y at the national level

III