A/HRC/28/81
required further definitions clarity and laws relating to these issues needed to be less vague
and more enforceable, she added. Besides these three issues, it was important to address the
prevalence of structural racism, in order to reconcile the divisive gap between laws and
practices. The representatives of the Republic of South Africa, Brazil and Uruguay
expressed appreciation that the presenter had identified the issue of intersectionality in
terms of combating racial discrimination.
22.
In concluding the 3rd meeting, the Chairperson-Rapporteur said that Committee
members thought that the ICERD was not sufficient to address the issue of xenophobia and
therefore new standards were required, while others thought that the implementation of
existing standards were sufficient to address xenophobia.
23.
At the 4th meeting, Mr. Karel Fracapane, of the Section of Health and Global
Citizen Education, Education Sector, at UNESCO briefed the Committee on UNESCO’s
work in the area of “Prevention of awareness-raising, including through human rights
education and training, in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia
and related intolerance.” At UNESCO, he noted that human rights education (HRE) had a
vital role in undermining prejudice, shaping attitudes and behaviours of tolerance, and
cultivating respect for human rights of all people. He referred to the 1974 Recommendation
concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation, Peace and Education
relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provided a normative
framework for promoting values and principles of human rights in and through education.
Member States were invited to report regularly on the implementation of the
Recommendation. The 5th consolidated report on the implementation of the
Recommendation had been submitted to the General Conference of UNESCO in 2013, and
provided a vast overview of how themes and issues such as tolerance, women’s rights, child
protection, indigenous people’s rights, social justice, violence at school, prevention of
racism, discrimination and xenophobia, sexuality and health education, gender equality, etc.
were addressed in the formal and non-formal educational sectors of the 55 reporting
countries, as well as the challenges faced in their national contexts. He added that
UNESCO and the OHCHR had jointly developed a self-assessment tool to help countries
build their national plans of action on human rights education.
24.
Mr. Fracapane explained that UNESCO had also developed a programme on global
citizenship education (GCE), which included human rights education. GCE could be
delivered through various modes and in all venues, including formal, non-formal and
informal education, noting that in most countries, the formal education system would be the
main mode of delivery. GCE should be integrated in education systems, either as a standalone subject, or as a component of existing programmes and/or the ethos of a learning
environment and system.
25.
He explained that the UNESCO project Teaching Respect for All (TRA) could be
interesting to the Committee’s work, as it was the project that created a set of guidelines to
counter discrimination. Countries could adapt the content according to their contexts and
needs. The project led to the elaboration of educational materials to address challenges such
as racism, ethnic discrimination, xenophobia and prejudice based on gender, colour, descent
or national, ethnic or religious identities.
26.
Mr. Fracapane stated that an integral part of the human rights education work at
UNESCO concerned Holocaust remembrance, and he outlined the features of the Education
for Holocaust Remembrance project. He explained that UNESCO aimed at making the
study of the past and the commemoration of victims meaningful to present generations. He
stated that education about the Holocaust, genocide, and mass atrocity presented a good
starting point for raising awareness about processes leading to violent conflicts. Analysing
past and present examples of mass atrocities, Mr. Fracapane noted, would help raise
awareness about the need to promote, preserve and nurture the fundamental rights of
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