A/HRC/43/63 No. 4 (2016) on the right to inclusive education, of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 53. Sigall Horovitz, a legal officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), focused on how education could empower children and youth to counter corruption. Under the Education for Justice Initiative, UNODC worked with educators and academics to strengthen the rule of law. The Initiative implemented the Doha Declaration, which recognized universal education as key to preventing corruption, crime and terrorism. In particular, the Initiative developed and provided age-appropriate education materials on criminal justice, crime prevention and the rule of law and promoted their integration into curricula at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Corruption denied millions of young people their right to learn and to a decent future. Corruption was linked to climate change, conflict, poverty and inequality. It was important to ensure access to quality, effective, inclusive education that shaped values and developed future leaders. The Initiative focused on ethics, universal values and integrity and the ways in which they linked to relevant fields and professions. Ms. Horovitz underlined the importance of empowering teachers and educators. 54. During the interactive dialogue, representatives of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cuba, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Ukraine, and of the American Association of Jurists, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, ATD Fourth World, and the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey, took the floor. For participants, education was a basis for development and could save, empower and change lives. Participants discussed legal and administrative measures promoting more inclusive schools for those affected by humanitarian crises, including remote learning. Some participants emphasized families’ role in education to build better societies. One delegation argued that sexual education should respect different societies’ religious and cultural principles and children’s mental security. Another delegation praised the UNFPA guidance on promoting human rights-based sexual education in schools. Participants recommended that education should promote non-violence and peace, active listening, resilience, inner peace and critical thinking, and not what Paulo Freire called a “banking concept of education”. Some participants emphasized the importance of youth activism in politics and in combating corruption, including by participating in oversight institutions and exercising the right to public protests. One delegation stressed the contribution of sports for integrating children and youth, and the value of cultural expressions and promoting solidarity and harmony with nature. 55. In response, Mr. Conte stressed the complementarity between education and empowerment, through promoting participation to form leaders, critical thinkers and influencers. Ms. Monteith emphasized the importance of inclusivity for children with disabilities, refugees and the leadership of youth, and called for tackling corruption and resistance to change. Ms. Al-Sulaiti agreed that the promotion of justice and fairness was the best way to empower children. Ms. Ferro stressed the importance of access to evidencebased, age-appropriate, comprehensive and accurate information about sexual and reproductive health and life to empower youth, and of life-saving and game-changing investment. Mr. Cardona emphasized that inclusive education for persons with disabilities benefited all society, and that failure to act on it affected everyone’s human rights. He emphasized religious leaders’ responsibility to contribute to inclusive education. Ms. Horovitz recalled the importance of empowering educators to empower future generations. She shared the collaborative and open nature of the UNODC Education for Justice Initiative. 56. A video was shown sharing children’s views on how education needed to change to become fit for the future. Children called for education to be practical and oriented towards their future aspirations, for greater investment in education, for the abolition of financial barriers to education and for education to be truly inclusive. They underlined the importance of teaching global topics, such as environmental issues and peace, so they could influence society. 15