A/HRC/21/20
initiatives can be found in the correspondence received by OHCHR, available on the web
page dedicated to the World Programme, where a summary of information received on
human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems and other areas
beyond the second phase is also available.1
A.
National focal points, strategies and plans of action
8.
Various institutions have been designated to coordinate human rights education
initiatives at the national level, depending on national institutional settings. For example,
the Presidential Commission for Coordinating Executive Policy in the Field of Human
Rights ensures the follow-up of the World Programme in Guatemala, while in Spain this
role is played by the Office of the Deputy General for International Cooperation of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. In Australia, the Human Rights Policy Branch
of the Attorney-General’s Department is responsible for a comprehensive range of human
rights education activities. Two governmental agencies, the Discrimination Ombudsman
and the Living History Forum, are tasked with enhancing human rights awareness in
Sweden. In Switzerland, key institutions supported by the Government are the Service
against Racism and the Foundation for Education and Development.2 Divisions within
ministries of education coordinate human rights education initiatives in Argentina (Office
of the Under-Secretary for Equity and Education Standards), Georgia (General Education
Development Division) and Thailand (Monitoring Committee of the World Programme for
Human Rights Education, based in the Bureau of International Cooperation).
9.
The first recommendation made in the World Programme plan of action was to
review the status of human rights education, for example through a national baseline study.
The Irish Human Rights Commission conducted in 2011 a comprehensive study giving an
overview of human rights education in Ireland to provide a foundation for the development
of a national action plan on human rights education. 3 In Slovenia, a governmental working
group, comprising representatives of the ministries in charge of higher education, the public
sector and foreign affairs, was tasked with mapping existing initiatives and gaps, and
defining an implementation plan with possible measures for improving human rights
education in the focus areas of the second phase.
10.
The National Institute for Study and Action for Development in Education, under
the Ministry of Education in Senegal, reported on a 2005 study of the situation concerning
human rights education in the formal and non-formal education systems. Since 2008,
efforts have been made to develop and pilot a plan of action for integrating human rights
education into the Senegalese curricula for formal and informal education and related
didactical tools, and to train education sector actors and ensure evaluation. The Swiss
university network is mandated to carry out a national baseline study. Kyrgyzstan mentions
a future study on human rights education to inform the development of new legislation and
related steps.
11.
Fewer States reported on existing overall strategies or plans of action for human
rights education, often developed through collaborative efforts. For example, the Ministry
of Education and Science of Armenia, assisted by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), formulated the National Plan of Action in the Area of Human Rights
Education (2012-2015), which details activities for implementation concerning teachers and
1
2
3
4
See www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/training/programme/secondphase/
nationalinitiatives.htm.
See www.globaleducation.ch.
See www.ihrc.ie/publications/list/human-rights-education-in-ireland-an-overview.
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