A/HRC/35/6 III. Contributions of the panellists 13. A segment of the documentary A Path to Dignity: The Power of Human Rights Education2 was shown prior to the panellists’ interventions. The segment narrated the story of Premalatha, a girl from a village in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, who faced discrimination not only as a member of a lower caste, but also as a girl. Through a human rights education programme at her school, Premalatha gains confidence and starts viewing herself no longer as a victim, but as a human rights defender. The moderator highlighted three key messages of this story: (a) human rights education starts with the daily life of the learners, engaging them in a critical reflection on the human rights challenges they face; (b) human rights education is an empowering process that provides learners with the tools, knowledge and skills to address their human rights challenges; and (c) human rights education leads to action that is consistent with the basic principles of human rights to further promote and protect human rights. She considered that the human rights education programme in Premalatha’s school represented a good practice of cooperation between civil society, which delivered the programme, and governmental authorities, which allowed the programme to run in public schools. 14. In introducing the Minister of Education of Costa Rica, the moderator noted that Costa Rica had been advocating for human rights education at the international level by promoting the Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004) and the World Programme for Human Rights Education (since 2005). In response to a question as to what motivated the country to drive those initiatives and what lessons could be shared from the experience, the Minister responded that Costa Rica’s leadership in the area of human rights education had its roots in its national tradition of peace based on respect for human rights. Moving away from the fictitious image of a homogenous State, Costa Rica had sought to develop an understanding of itself as a multi-ethnic and diverse State that promoted and exercised nondiscrimination. She stated that that process went hand in hand with the human rights education actions taking place at both the national and international levels. 15. In Costa Rica, a human rights education network composed of government officials and representatives of the Defensoría de los Habitantes (Ombudsman’s Office), academic institutions and civil society was currently developing a national policy for human rights education, and the process had stimulated debates in the country on effective strategies and methodologies. The “Education For a New Citizenship” vision, which links citizenship with — among others — sustainable development, human rights, equality and social equity, guides the entire work of the Ministry of Education. Current areas of focus included combating discrimination against people of African descent and on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. The 2015 Declaration of the Ministry of Public Education as a workplace free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity guided educational reforms. In concluding her statement, the Minister called for a lively debate in the Human Rights Council on effective strategies for promoting human rights education and training. 16. Regarding the impact of the 2003 National Plan for Human Rights Education, developed by a committee composed of various national governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders, the Secretary for Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Brazil stated that the right to human rights education was a right in itself that was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art. 26), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (art. 13) and other international human rights treaties. She stated that the Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training provided a more precise formulation of that right and its implications. She added that human rights education played an important role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for 2 4 The film includes two other segments that illustrate the impact of human rights training on law enforcement agencies in Australia and on women victims of violence in Turkey. Jointly produced by Human Rights Education Associates, Soka Gakkai International and OHCHR, A Path to Dignity: The Power of Human Rights Education is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish from www.path-to-dignity.org/.