A/HRC/28/36 I. Introduction 1. On 9 September 2014, pursuant to paragraph 14 of its resolution 25/19, the Human Rights Council held at its twenty-seventh session a panel discussion on history teaching and memorialization processes, with a view to, inter alia, contributing to the sharing of good practices in this area. 2. The panel discussion was chaired by Baudelaire Ndong Ella, President of the Human Rights Council, and moderated by Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. The United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Flavia Pansieri, delivered an opening statement. The panellists were Dubravka Stojanovic, Professor of History at the University of Belgrade; Sami Adwan, Professor of Education and Teacher Training at Hebron University in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Marie Wilson, Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada; and Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. 3. The present summary was prepared by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, pursuant to paragraph 15 of Council resolution 25/19, in which it requested the High Commissioner to prepare a summary report on the panel discussion. II. Opening statement by the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights 4. In her opening statement, Ms. Pansieri noted the timeliness of the panel discussion taking place in 2014, which marks 100 years since the start of the First World War. She emphasized that the way the past was viewed, interpreted and sometimes distorted guided people’s understanding of the present and shaped relationships between and within communities. In particular, the urge for revenge, the denial of other peoples’ narratives, the exclusion of groups from official memories and the negative portrayal of some communities in history textbooks pitted peoples against one another and incited discrimination, hate and persecution. Conversely, providing space for different communities to present their perspectives on history fostered mutual understanding and helped to develop a sense of common humanity. 5. The Deputy High Commissioner noted that most or perhaps all societies faced challenges in addressing the past. That included in particular societies that had suffered conflict, civil wars or authoritarian regimes; post-colonial and post-slavery societies; and societies that were challenged by divisions based on ethnic, national or linguistic backgrounds, or on religion, belief or political ideology. 6. The Deputy High Commissioner stressed the essential part played by justice and remedy, through the pursuit of truth and respect for human rights, in putting an end to what she called the churning cycle of massive human rights violations. Reconciliation processes clearly needed to weave new and inclusive historical narratives. The Deputy High Commissioner noted that official genuine apologies had the vital effect of recognizing victims as rights-holders and granting them respect within the community. She added that commemorations and memorials that were thoughtfully designed with a multi-perspective approach could also offer recognition to various groups and give them space to articulate their experiences and perceptions. 3