why do teachers need to be familiar with human rights? In multicultural societies, whose values take precedence? How do schools resolve tensions between children's rights and teachers' rights? --
Human rights education makes an essential contribution to the realization of all human rights. In 2004, the General Assembly proclaimed the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing) with a view to support and encourage national action and strengthen partnerships and cooperation. The third phase (2015-2019) of the World Programme focuses on strengthening implementation of the first two phases and promoting human rights training for media professionals and journalists; adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2014, this plan of action provides practical guidance for implementing this phase nationally. It targets all stakeholders, including governments, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, higher education institutions as well as intergovernmental organizations.
This book presents a comprehensive overview of selected research concerning global and comparative trends in dominant discourses on human rights education. Using diverse paradigms, ranging from critical theory to historical-comparative research, the book examines major human rights education reforms and policy issues in a global culture with a focus on the ambivalent and problematic relationship between human rights education discourses, ideology and the state. Further, it discusses democracy, national identity, and social justice, which are among the most critical and significant factors defining and contextualising the processes surrounding nation-building, identity politics and human rights education globally, and also critiques current human rights education practices and policy reforms, illustrating the shifts in the relationship between the state and human rights education policy. Written by authors from diverse backgrounds and regions, the book examines current developments in research concerning human rights education, and citizenship education globally. As such it enables readers to gain a more holistic understanding of the nexus between nation-state, national identity and human rights education both locally and globally. It also provides an easily accessible, practical yet scholarly insights into international concerns in the field of human rights education in the context of global culture.
The Global Citizenship Commission was convened, under the leadership of former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the auspices of NYU’s Global Institute for Advanced Study, to re-examine the spirit and stirring words of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The result – this volume – offers a 21st-century commentary on the original document, furthering the work of human rights and illuminating the ideal of global citizenship. What does it mean for each of us to be members of a global community? Since 1948, the Declaration has stood as a beacon and a standard for a better world. Yet the work of making its ideals real is far from over. Hideous and systemic human rights abuses continue to be perpetrated at an alarming rate around the world. Too many people, particularly those in power, are hostile to human rights or indifferent to their claims. Meanwhile, our global interdependence deepens. Bringing together world leaders and thinkers in the fields of politics, ethics, and philosophy, the Commission set out to develop a common understanding of the meaning of global citizenship – one that arises from basic human rights and empowers every individual in the world. This landmark report affirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seeks to renew the 1948 enterprise, and the very ideal of the human family, for our day and generation.
Living among other people, in their families and communities, children become aware from a very early age of questions related to justice, and they search for the meaning of the world. By fostering an understanding of human rights, shaping opinion and developing attitudes, human rights education strongly supports this natural interest and learning process. This is what human rights education is about and this is what ’Compasito manual on human rights education for children' is for.’Compasito' is a starting point for educators, teachers and trainers who are ready to deal with human rights education with children of 7-13 years. The book covers the key concepts of human rights and children's rights, and provides substantial theoretical background to 13 key human rights issues, such as democracy, citizenship, gender equality, environment, media, poverty, and violence.The 42 practical activities serve to engage and motivate children to recognise human rights issues in their own environment. They help children to develop critical thinking, responsibility and a sense of justice, and help them learn how to take action to contribute to the betterment of their school or community. The manual also gives practical tips on how it can be used in various formal and non-formal educational settings.
This particular publication presents 21 case studies of governance reforms that have helped to better protect human rights. The title aims to help fill the gap between human rights standards and principles, on the one hand, and their implementation through governance interventions on the other. Those engaged in governance reforms frequently ask about the relevance of human rights, and how they can be meaningfully incorporated. Also once states have adopted appropriate legal frameworks, how can they and other social actors improve the implementation through further governance reforms. Divided into four sections, it addresses the key areas that need to be considered when embodying human rights as part of the government framework: Section 1: Strengthening democratic institutions; Section 2: Improving service delivery; Section 3: The rule of law; Section 4: Combating corruption.
In tracing the origins of the modern human-rights movement, historians typically point to two periods: the 1940s, in which decade the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was ratified by the United Nations General Assembly; and the 1970s, during which numerous human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), most notably Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontières, came into existence. It was also in the 1970s, Sarita Cargas observes, when the first classes in international human rights began to be taught in law schools and university political science departments in the United States. Cargas argues that the time has come for human rights to be acknowledged as an academic discipline. She notes that human rights has proven to be a relevant field to scholars and students in political science and international relations and law for over half a century. It has become of interest to anthropology, history, sociology, and religious studies, as well as a requirement even in social work and education programs. However, despite its interdisciplinary nature, Cargas demonstrates that human rights meets the criteria that define an academic discipline in that it possesses a canon of literature, a shared set of concerns, a community of scholars, and a methodology. In an analysis of human rights curricula in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, Cargas identifies an informal consensus on the epistemological foundations of human rights, including familiarity with human rights law; knowledge of major actors including the United Nations, governments, NGOS, and multinational corporations; and, most crucially, awareness and advocacy of the rights and freedoms detailed in the articles of the UDHR. The second half of the book offers practical recommendations for creating a human rights major or designing courses at the university level in the United States.