A/HRC/43/63 – all central to the Human Rights Council. She called on all stakeholders to ensure that all children and youth could access education on an inclusive, equitable basis. Children and youth were agents of change who were claiming their rights and sustainable development. She called on all stakeholders to ensure that this happened, by removing barriers, giving the voices of children and youth a platform, and listening to them. Central to achieving this were the fourth phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, focused on youth, the United Nations Youth Strategy, and the 2019 Human Rights Day on “Youth standing up for human rights”. 62. The following conclusions and recommendations emerged from the 2019 Social Forum: A. Conclusions 63. Education is a fundamental human right and a means for children and youth to realize other human rights and sustainable development. Education is transformative and a key tool for child and youth empowerment, yet hundreds of millions worldwide remain out of school or do not receive quality education. 64. Funding of education remains of critical concern, both in terms of allocation of adequate financial and human resources and in terms of targeting of funding. 65. Barriers to equitable, inclusive, quality education are wide-ranging and include poverty; discriminatory laws and policies; conflict and emergencies; violence; child labour; the financial costs of education; the overcommodification of education; inadequate educational facilities, including sanitation and hygiene, and inaccessible facilities for children with disabilities; inadequate human, technical and financial resources; learning in an unfamiliar language; and weak curriculum content and teaching methods. 66. Education improves young people’s future educational and work opportunities and strengthens their resilience. The international legal framework includes, inter alia, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention against Discrimination in Education and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The international policy framework includes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially Sustainable Development Goal 4. 67. Children and youth from specific groups are disproportionately affected, including those affected by poverty, humanitarian disasters and conflict, those from indigenous, low-income, rural, and marginalized communities, from developing countries, and children on the move, children with disabilities and girls. Such groups require dedicated policies to ensure they are not left behind, including strategic litigation. 68. Conflict and emergencies significantly affect education, through displacement, interrupted education, traumatization, increased violence and enforced recruitment. Schools are safe, protective environments where children can receive support, protection, and access to crucial services and learning. Education is a powerful tool for conflict prevention, that emphasizes peace, inclusion and non-violence. The Safe Schools Declaration has positively influenced the protection of education during conflict. The global compact on refugees provides a key opportunity to ensure that refugee children access equitable, quality education. 69. Youth are rights holders and key actors in realizing human rights. Human rights education for youth is a lifelong process that fosters knowledge about human rights as well as skills for their daily realization, and develops attitudes and behaviours so that youth defend and promote human rights and become active citizens. It is crucial to engage youth as recipients of and key partners in all stages of human rights education: planning, design, implementation and follow-up. 17