A/HRC/28/36 VI. Concluding observations 70. In their concluding remarks, the panellists reaffirmed that a lack of attention to past wrongs and historical events inevitably resulted in a recurrence of violations. They welcomed the fact that so many delegations supported the recommendations made in the reports of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights relating to the multi-perspective approach in teaching history and memorialization processes, and encouraged States to effectively implement such an approach on the ground. 71. Despite the expressed widespread support from delegations, there remained much to be done in practice with regards to education and memorialization for the sake of non-recurrence, on both the national and international levels, but also to put an end to the continuation of injustice. In particular, it was stressed that these issues required urgent attention and that is was never too soon to adopt a multi-perspective approach in history teaching and memorialization processes, as without facing the past, people could not reconcile. Furthermore, narratives of the past were in any case carried out within families and communities, most often in a partial way. It was therefore recommended that States open spaces and opportunities for the expression of a diversity of historical narratives and interpretations. Of particular note was the recommendation to ensure that a diversity of history textbooks and additional materials and resources be made available to teachers and students. Panellists further underlined that history was neither a religion nor a single truth to believe, but something to discuss. 72. It was stressed that truth commissions should foster a more inclusive account of history and increasingly take into account the role and the plight of women in conflict. More generally, it was underlined that other aspects of history than political history could be usefully introduced, such as history of sciences, economy and culture, leading to a change of attitude towards the past. A good approach was to teach social history, reflecting on the diversity of societies and including the contributions of women to history. 73. Panellists stressed that more attention had to be paid to victims of human rights violations. Their participation in policies relating to history teaching and memorialization processes had to be promoted. In order to eradicate the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes, history teaching should encourage analytical learning, critical thinking and debate. The panellists also noted that such an approach was a way to counter cultural relativism and denial: while there might be various interpretations for the causes and consequences of events, there was also a need to recognize, at the very least, that facts were facts. This is why it was important to approach history as a science and academic discipline with a methodology, and to respect and protect academic freedom. 74. It was noted that where there was no public acknowledgement of past events on the part of the State, artistic events and manifestations could allow people, in particular victims, to express their narrative. For this, artistic freedom had to be fully respected and protected. Panellists stressed that States had to ensure that no reprisals would be conducted against those who expressed alternative narratives, including teachers who adopted a multi-perspective approach to history teaching. In this regard, it was important that teachers be trained adequately to feel confident and safe in teaching history from a multi-perspective angle. 75. Finally, the panellists encouraged the Human Rights Council to continue to address the issue of history teaching and memorialization processes in its future work. 14