A/HRC/12/36
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58. The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement deemed that the first
phase had not yet achieved its goals and still needed to be extended, with tools to ensure
government commitments to integrate human rights into primary and secondary school systems.
The second phase should address media personnel, especially television, with a view to
achieving socially responsible media.
59. Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) stated that the second phase should
emphasize that the original focus on primary and secondary schools also remains a target.
Governments should be encouraged to evaluate the results of their first phase activities in order
to assess progress and to identify indicators and tools that can assist in the ongoing monitoring
and evaluation of human rights education programming. Human rights education and the
rights-based approach to schooling should be linked with the right to education. Governments
should continue to be encouraged to establish and implement national plans of action for human
rights education.
60. HREA recommended that the second phase target institutions of higher education,
including universities, teacher training institutions and other professional training institutions,
allowing for a natural progression from the first phase focus on schooling to teachers and
administrators. The main target groups of the second phase would be teachers and other
professional groups such as law enforcement officials, health workers, social workers and others.
Human rights education undertaken would encompass both formal and non-formal approaches.
61. In the second phase, education efforts should be aimed to protect and help realize the
human rights of the most vulnerable groups. Human rights education should address human
rights issues of relevance to the lives of those engaged in education and training activities,
e.g. poverty, discrimination, a lack of freedom of expression. Human rights education should
integrate the identification and capacity-building of both rights holders and duty bearers in
relation to human rights issues of special concern for learners. The language of the second phase
should recognize the important contribution of civil society and encourage the inclusion of wider
civil society in supporting the Government’s efforts. HREA proposed that the second phase run
for three years.
62. The International Association of Schools of Social Work highlighted as possible target
sectors the helping and health professions, e.g. social work, psychology, psychiatry, nursing,
medicine, and disciplines such as sociology, political science and economics. The Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Principles for the protection of persons with mental
illness and the improvement of mental health care and the Principles of Medical Ethics relevant
to the Role of Health Personnel, particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and
Detainees against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
should form part of the curricula for these professions. Themes suggested by the Association
included the eradication of extreme poverty, right to peace and world citizenship.
63. The International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism - Japan
Committee suggested that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights conduct a
general evaluation of the first phase. For the second phase, it proposed a focus on human rights
education and training of law enforcement officers and civil servants. It further recommended
that the second phase concentrate on school education about the history and culture of minority
communities in their own societies in order to combat exclusion.
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