A/HRC/39/53 47. In past reports, the Special Rapporteur has noted the potential of education and the teaching of history as powerful tools in the prevention of the recurrence of violations. In those reports, the mandate holder has noted that, because of its formative potential, education can contribute to shaping new norms, mediating between contending narratives of the past, and nurturing a culture of dialogue and democratic citizenship across generations (A/HRC/30/42, para. 93). When not aligned with the aims of transitional justice, however, education policies and methods can fuel resentment, deepen inequalities and foment intolerant attitudes. Given the pivotal role of education in societal development, it is unlikely that any prevention strategy will be successful without long-term changes in education (A/72/523, para. 78). 48. The importance of including objective and multi-faceted history education in national curricula was also highlighted in the joint study on the contribution of transitional justice to the prevention of gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law (see A/HRC/37/65). Successful history education is not only about producing reliable textbooks but also about facilitating a productive reflection on past events and human behaviour, which can in turn contribute to reconciliation processes (A/HRC/37/65, paras. 75, 79, 80 and 98). 49. Arts and other cultural interventions, including memorialization, are also important means of generating empathy and solidarity, and strengthening sustainable processes of social integration. Similarly, the preservation of and access to archives are an educational tool that can help to fight denial and revisionism, important for history education and institutional reform. Together with education, these polices can contribute to nurturing cultures and individuals that can sustain prevention aims over time (A/72/523, paras. 79– 80). 50. The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights presented two studies on historical and memorial narratives in divided and post-conflict societies, for which she worked in close collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence (see A/68/296, paras. 86). Actions in the cultural sphere can help to achieve transitional justice by focusing on the promotion of cultural interaction and understanding, exchanging perspectives about the past and designing a cultural landscape reflective of cultural diversity (A/HRC/25/49, para. 47–48). She recommended that history teaching and memorialization processes should adopt a multi-perspective approach aimed at promoting civic engagement, critical thinking and debate about representations of the past and present challenges. 51. It is in this connection that the current Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence intends to examine national (and possibly regional) experiences and substantive debates concerning the role of education and history teaching in supporting transitional justice goals, and explore how these goals can help to identify educational deficits and inform education sector reform. It should be noted that educational reform and curricula development should not attempt to minimize either the responsibility of the State with regard to violations or the need to fulfil the rights to truth, justice and reparation for victims. D. Gender perspective 52. As established by the mandate holder in his first report of to the Human Rights Council, a gender perspective has been consistently applied throughout the work of the mandate (A/HRC/21/46, paras. 58–59), whether with regard to thematic issues, such as challenges in truth commissions (A/HRC/24/42, para. 36), prosecutorial strategies (A/HRC/27/56, paras. 36 (e), 57 (c) and 86), reparations (A/69/518, paras. 68–73) or guarantees of non-recurrence (A/HRC/30/42, para. 63), or to the context of country visits. 53. The issues addressed to date by the mandate holder during country visits include the identification of the gender-related dimension of violations and abuses committed during the respective period of conflict and/or repression; the insufficient involvement and heeding of women during national consultations on transitional justice policies; the insufficient representation of women in truth commissions, alongside the need for gender-specific 8