United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education
(1995-2004)
 Documents
 History
Plan
of Action
Technical
cooperation projects in support of the United Nations Decade for Human
Rights Education
ABC Teaching Human Rights
- Practical activities for primary and secondary
schools
Act Project:
Assisting Communities Together
Activities carried out in the framework of the
Decade
Expert
meeting on the OHCHR Human Rights Training Package for Prison
Officials (9-12 March 1998)
Expert
meeting on the HC/CHR Human Rights Manual for Judges and
Lawyers (5-8 May 1997)
Expert
meeting on Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring for United
Nations field operations(11-12 March 1997)
Expert meeting
on Guidelines for National Plan of Action for Human Rights
Education (27-30 January 1997)
Documents prepared in the framework of the
Decade
Sub-Regional Training
Workshop on Human Rights Education in Northeast Asian
Schools
Inter-sessional
Workshop on National Plans of Action for Human Rights Education in the
Asia-Pacific Region
United
Nations CyberSchool Bus Human Rights module (link to the UN
Headquarter web site in New York)
UNICEF Voices of Youth (link to
the UNICEF web site)
UNESCO(link to the UNESCO web
site)
HUMANITO
(Interactive educational programme,
(http://www.virtualg.com/derechos Spanish
only))
Human Rights Scholarship
Opportunities
HistoryThe World Conference on
Human Rights in the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action (in particular, para. 33 of
Section I ) stated that human rights education, training and public
information were essential for the promotion and achievement of stable
and harmonious relations among communities and for fostering mutual
understanding, tolerance and peace. The Conference recommended that
States should strive to eradicate illiteracy and should direct
education towards the full development of the human personality and
the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms. It called on all States and institutions to include human
rights, humanitarian law, democracy and rule of law as subjects in the
curricula of all learning institutions in formal and non-formal
settings.
Pursuant to a suggestion of the World Conference, the United
Nations General Assembly, in its resolution
49/184 of 23 December 1994, proclaimed the 10-year period
beginning on 1 January 1995 the United Nations Decade for Human Rights
Education, and welcomed the Plan of Action for the Decade contained in
the report of the Secretary-General.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights
has developed a specific project, funded against the Voluntary Fund
for Technical Cooperation on the Field of Human Rights to implement
some of the components of the Programme of Action.
Expert
meeting on the OHCHR Human Rights Training Package for Prison
Officials
(Geneva, 9 - 12 March 1998)
An expert meeting to review the draft OHCHR Human Rights
Training Package for Prison Officials was held in Geneva at the Palais
des Nations, from 9 to 12 March 1998.
The Training Package is intended to constitute a comprehensive
curriculum for the training of prison officials on international human
rights standards, to be adapted case by case to the particular
national needs and legal systems. It will enhance the substantive
capacity of the UN Technical Cooperation Programme in the Field of
Human Rights - administered by the OHCHR - and of other agencies and
organizations to carry out more effectively training activities in
this area.
The draft Training Package was reviewed by the practitioners
and experts in the field participating in the meeting, including Mr.
Andrew Coyle from the International Centre for Prison Studies (UK),
Mr. Joseph Etima, Commissioner of Prisons (Uganda), Mr. Henk Greven,
former Director General of Prison Administration and Child Care
Probation (The Netherlands), Mr. Yuichi Kaido from the Centre for
Prisoners' Rights (Japan), Ms. Irena Kriznik, Adviser to the
Government of Slovenia, Ms. Julita Lemgruber, Assistant to the
Secretary of Justice of Brazil, Mr. Miroslaw Nowak from the Central
Board of Prison Service (Poland), Mr. Ahmed Othmani, Chairman of the
international non-governmental organization Penal Reform
International, Dr. Rani Shankardass from the Centre for Contemporary
Studies (India) and Prof. Dirk Van Zyl Smit, Professor of Criminology
at the University of Cape Town (South Africa). The Special Rapporteur
on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa, appointed by the
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights - Prof. Victor Dankwa
- also joined the group of participants.
The United Nations Centre for International Crime Prevention,
the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of
Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD) and the Committee for
the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment of the Council of Europe were represented in the
meeting.
The draft Training Package will be revised on the basis of
substantive comments made by the participants and will be further
piloted through forthcoming courses to be offered to prison officials
through the OHCHR Programme of Technical Cooperation, before its final
publication.
The OHCHR Human Rights Training Package for Prison Officials
is one of the several publications being currently developed by the
OHCHR in the framework of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights
Education (1995-2004). As far as human rights training is concerned,
other materials are being prepared for human rights monitors for UN
field operations, judges and lawyers, primary and secondary school
teachers, journalists, NGOs and parliamentarians.
Expert
meeting on the HC/CHR Human Rights Manual for Judges and
Lawyers
(Geneva, 5-8 May 1997)
An
expert meeting to review the draft HC/CHR Human Rights Manual for
Judges and Lawyers was held in Geneva at the Palais des Nations, from
5 to 8 May 1997.
The Manual is intended to constitute a comprehensive
curriculum for the training of judges and lawyers on international
human rights standards, to be adapted case by case to the particular
national needs and legal systems. It will enhance the substantive
capacity of the HC/CHR Technical Cooperation Programme to carry out
more effectively training activities in this area.
The draft Manual was reviewed by numerous experts in the field
of human rights training for justice personnel. The meeting was
chaired by Ms. Mona Rishmawi and was attended by Justice P.N.
Bhagwati, Mr. Param Cumaraswamy, Mr. Matar Diop, Mr. Anil Gayan, Mr.
Louis Joinet, Justice Michael Kirby, Ms. Marcia Kran, Mr.Scott Leckie,
Mr. Soli Sorabjee and Mr.Rick Wilson. The United Nations Latin
American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of
Offenders, the International Labour Organization, the International
Bar Association and the International Association of Judges were also
represented in the meeting. Other organizations, such as the Council
of Europe and the International Women Judges Foundation, contributed
to the drafting process.
The draft Manual will be revised on the basis of substantive
comments made by the participants and will be further piloted through
forthcoming courses to be offered to judges and lawyers through the
HC/CHR Programme of Technical Cooperation, before its final
publication.
The Human Rights Manual for Judges and Lawyers is one of the
training tools being currently developed by the HC/CHR Technical
Cooperation Programme in support of the United Nations Decade for
Human Rights Education (1995-2004). In this framework, other materials
are being prepared for the training of human rights monitors, prison
officers, primary and secondary school teachers, journalists and
NGOs.
Expert
meeting on Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring for United Nations
field operations
(Geneva, 11-12 March 1997)
An
expert meeting to revise the draft HC/CHR Training Manual on Human
Rights Monitoring for United Nations Field Operations was held in
Geneva, at the Palais des Nations, on March 11-12,
1997.
The Training Manual is intended to provide guidance and
training materials on international human rights standards, monitoring
methodology and selected organizational issues related to the
establishment of human rights field operations. It integrates and
builds on the experience of several United Nations Field Operations,
under the responsibility of both the United Nations High
Commissioner/Centre for Human Rights and the UN Department for
Peace-Keeping Operations, and takes into account the guidelines
formulated for some of them.
The meeting gathered the Chiefs of the High Commissioner’s
Field Operations and other experts, including Mr. Adama Dieng, Mr.
Leonardo Franco, Mr. Ian Martin, Mr. Dennis McNamara and Mr. David
Weissbrodt. The experts discussed the contents of the draft Manual and
made several detailed suggestions for improving its content. Also,
they discussed the need for and the contents of a HC/CHR Guide for
Field Operations, which would incorporate some of the materials
already developed for the Manual.
The Manual on human rights monitoring is one of the training
tools being currently developed by the HC/CHR under its Technical
Cooperation Project in support of the United Nations Decade for Human
Rights Education (1995-2004). In this framework, other materials are
being prepared for the training of prison officers, judges and
lawyers, primary and secondary school teachers, journalists and
NGOs.
Expert
meeting on Guidelines for National Plan of Action for Human Rights
Education
(Geneva,
27-30 January 1997)
The meeting was held in Geneva from 27 to 30 January 1997. The
meeting brought together 14 human rights education experts and
practitioners from the five continents, and representatives from
UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
The experts reviewed a draft document prepared by the HC/CHR
in order to assist Governments in developing comprehensive (in terms
of outreach), effective (in terms of educational strategies) and
sustainable (over the long term) national plans in the area of human
rights education, as requested by the General Assembly and the
Commission on Human Rights in the framework of the United Nations
Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004). The guidelines will be
made available soon to all Governments and other interested
institutions.
The Decade for Human Rights Education has been proclaimed by
the General Assembly in December 1994, from 1 January 1995 to 31
December 2004. At that session, a related Plan of Action for the
Decade had been welcomed, and the High Commissioner had been asked to
coordinate its implementation.
The Plan of Action has five objectives: -assessing needs and
formulating strategies; -building and strengthening human rights
education programmes at international, regional, national and local
level; -developing in a coordinated way materials for human rights
education; -strengthening the role of the mass media; -globally
disseminating the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
The Plan focuses on stimulating and supporting national and
local activities and initiatives and is built upon the idea of a
partnership between Governments, international organizations,
non-governmental organizations, professional associations, individuals
and large segments of civil society.
The High Commissioner has reported about activities undertaken
at the international, regional and national level towards the
implementation of the Plan of Action for the Decade to both the
General Assembly (A/50/698
of 27 October 1995 and A/51/506
of 16 October 1996) and the Commission on Human Rights (E/CN.4/1996/51
of 18 March 1996 and E/CN.4/1997/46).
| 
