News
Catch up on what’s happening in the world of global citizenship education.
154 results found
Education to prevent violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel 2018-12-27 UNESCO (Dakar, Headquarters and IICBA), the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre for International Understanding (APCEIU) and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), represented by its Institut de la Francophonie pour l’éducation et la formation (IFEF), organized a capacity-building workshop on prevention of violent extremism through education (PVE-E) in West Africa and the Sahel. This event took place in Dakar, Senegal, from 9 to 11 May 2017. In today’s globalized and interconnected world, the growing threats and acts of violent extremism in West Africa and the Sahel create climates of fear and insecurity, which are adversely affecting peace and development efforts. Providing young people with knowledge, skills and values for them to nurture respect for all, building a sense of belonging to a common humanity and helping them to become responsible and active citizens is critical for a more just and sustainable world. UNESCO, APCEIU and IFEF jointly organized in Dakar, from 9 to 11 May 2017, a workshop aiming at strengthening capacities of education policy makers (Parliamentarians, Permanent Secretaries and Chiefs of Cabinet of Ministries of Education, senior officials in charge of teacher education or curricula) and senior teacher trainers to design and implement relevant and effective policies and practices that contribute to prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and eventually to sustainable peace in West Africa and the Sahel. About forty participants from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone attended this workshop as well as education, PVE-E experts. First, presentations on international and regional normative instruments as well as on security and peace situation in the West African region and the Sahel provided an overview of the context. Then, in addition to the Clearinghouse on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) hosted by APCEIU, two tools on PVE-E developed by UNESCO were introduced: (1) a Guide on PVE for education policy makers, to support national efforts to integrate GCED into their education systems, and (2) a Teachers’ Guide on managing classroom discussions in relation to the PVE. OIF also presented the #LibresEnsemble (FreeTogether) Initiative launched to give a voice to young people to express their views on citizenship, freedom, diversity, living together, etc. through social media and education, as well as cultural, economic and artistic activities. Building on these tools and examples of PEV-E approaches and practices in formal, non-formal and informal education settings, country delegations drafted a roadmap for integration of PVE into education policies and practices, considering the context, the needs and capacities of respective countries. At the end of the workshop, participants expressed their commitment to reinforce advocacy amongst high-level authorities in their country, to suggest law and legal frameworks on PVE-E, to integrate PVE into education sector plans, curricula, education personnel training (formal, non-formal and informal) and to further involve communities. The organizers will ensure follow up on recommendations by developing a platform for exchange and experience sharing, establishing an exchange network, supporting countries in ownership and adaptation of the tools developed by UNESCO and OIF (pedagogical guide and #LibresEnsemble). "The most remarkable result is that everyone has had a prospective look. We hope that this way, national visions and strategies will gain ground and will really transform this reality. " said Mamadou Ndoye, former Minister of Education of Senegal and moderator of the workshop. 
A Global Forum for Youth Leaders to Share Initiatives on GCED 2018-12-26 The 3rd Youth Leadership Workshop on GCED was held from 28 May to 3 June 2017 in Jeju, Republic of Korea. During this workshop, 50 youth leaders/activists from 42 countries participated in various forms of programmes, including plenary sessions on GCED, workshops for Youth Advocacy and study visits to understand GCED local initiative. Facilitated by APCEIU and core members of GCED Youth Network, this workshop was a forum for participants to actively share and engage with each other based on their local youth activities. Starting with the sessions on ‘Introduction of GCED’ by Director CHUNG Utak and Office of Education and Training, various workshops under the main theme of “Deepening the Understanding of GCED Advocacy” were held. For the session of “Youth Inspirational Speakers on GCED” by GCED Youth Network, youth leaders took part in various interactive exercises to understand GCED through sharing their own GCED activities and ultimately respect the difference of each other through GCED. Following this, participants had a session to ponder over the advocacy in GCED and its implementation strategies during the group activities. As a part of the session, “GCED Advocacy”, which was led by the GCED Youth Network introduced Youth Advocacy Toolkit and internalised advocacy strategies to efficiently implement GCED as a youth leader. In order to explore the local initiatives and develop a strategic planning for GCED, the youth activists participated in study visits to two different places in Jeju. Participants chose one of the options to experience and deepen their understandings of local initiatives on GCED based on the following themes: 1) “Understanding GCED Local Initiatives” - Global Inner Peace, A Civil Society Organization on Global Issues; 2) “Creative Ways for the Sustainable Future” - Jaejudo Joa, A Cultural Group for Sustainable Marine Ecosystem through Beachcombing. By exploring GCED in local settings, the youth leaders had a priceless opportunity to relate their own experience with the different areas of Jeju to find methods to implement GCED in their home countries and share their activities on social media. After the study visit, participants gathered at Ttarabi Oreum and participated in the Peace Campaign by writing peace messages and flying kites. On June 1, the participants in six groups presented their outcomes to promote GCED by different thematic issues followed by action plans on specific topics: 1) Human Rights - Sexual Human Trafficking, 2) Leadership Development - Social Entrepreneurship, 3) Peace & Conflict - Act for Tolerance, 4) Cross-Cultural Understanding - Dialogue for Peace 5) Environmental Sustainability - Design a Sustainable Future with Comunidade da Mare 6) Gender Equality - Sanitary Pad, Right for Every Girl. Each group gave a speech on the above topics, composed of the background, target group, plans/timeline, method, evaluation/monitoring and organisational approach. To find the solutions to each issue, youth leaders had discussions to share their ideas and come up with group outcomes which are to be implemented and reproduced after the workshop as follow-up activities. On the last day, the youth activists participated in a session on “The Role of Youth and Culture in Shaping a Peaceful and Sustainable Future” in Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity. In this session organised by APCEIU and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, two of the Workshop participants shared their youth and culture activities representing youth leaders across the globe as panelists. Her Excellency Puan Maharani, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture of Indonesia, His Excellency Hamat Bah, Minister for Tourism and Culture of The Gambia, Mr. Eduardo Mendez, Executive Director of Simon Bolivar Music Foundation in Venezuela and Mr. Daniel Lindemann, TV personality in Korea from Germany Culture also joined the session as panelists. At the closing ceremony, Director Gwangjo KIM from UNESCO Bangkok commented that “It is important to take actions as global leaders and bring the issues forward to implement GCED in your own community.” Director CHUNG concluded this workshop by saying that “It is surely expected that the outcome of workshop will be implemented in your programmes of diverse regions and APCEIU will continuously support youth activities through GCED Youth Network.” URL:A Global Forum for Youth Leaders to Share Initiatives on GCED > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Value of GCED for the United Nations highlighted in 2017 UN GCED Seminar 2018-12-26 On 19 June 2017, APCEIU, together with the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of the Republic of Korea and Qatar, as well as the World Federation of United Nations Association (WFUNA) co-organized the 2017 UN Global Citizenship Education (GCED) Seminar at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. With the title “The Role of Global Citizenship Education in the 2030 Agenda and Beyond” the seminar focused on answering the question of how does Global Citizenship Education (SDG Target 4.7) contribute to the values and visions of the United Nations. An annual event since 2015, the discussions in the 2017 also touched on best practices that contribute to the realization of SDG Target 4.7, the Sustainable Development Goal for GCED. Ambassador Cho Tae-yul, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, emphasized on the significance of GCED with the current global challenges faced mutually by humanity, and its role in realizing the mission of the United Nations. “GCED educates people to become active and responsible global citizens…towards sharing and realizing the universal values and visions which the United Nations upholds.” Ambassador Cho further mentioned that GCED contributes to the UN beyond its inclusion in the SDGs as it serves as, “…an important element of the UN’s holistic approach, strengthening the nexus among peace and security, development and human rights.” He further addressed that in line with the mainstreaming action needed at the United Nations, the “Group of Friends on Global Citizenship Education” was established, co-chaired by the Republic of Korea and the State of Qatar. The inaugural meeting of the group was held last 1 June where 60 representatives from 35 UN Member States as well as UN Department of Public Information, UNESCO and UN Alliance of Civilizations participated. As a reply, Ambassador Abdulrahman Yaaqob Y. A. Al-Hamadi, Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, expressed their pride in co-chairing the group, a common platform for member states and key stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities to promote GCED. Ambassador Al-Hamadi also stressed the various efforts of Qatar to promote GCED, including through its support of intercultural dialogue, and the organization of the 2017 World Education Summit for Education (WISE) with the theme “Co-exist, Co-create, Learning to Live and Work Together”. The WISE will be held in Doha from 14 to 16 November 2017. In the opening remarks, Utak Chung, Director of APCEIU, explained that in light of the effort to prevent violent extremism, the implementation of GCED is crucial. He mentioned the full commitment of APCEIU in implementing GCED, shown in its various efforts such as the annual UN GCED Seminar, building capacities of teachers, development of curricula and policy guidance on GCED, and opening of platforms such as the International Conference on GCED and the GCED Global Network to exchange ideas and develop strategies for GCED. On a similar note, Bonian Golmohammadi, Secretary-General of WFUNA, highlighted their work on GCED, towards the goal of empowering young people to become global citizens that contribute and engage with the work of the UN and the realization of the SDGs. On a special video message, Madame Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, expounded that the inclusion of GCED in the SDGs is recognition of its role to support an education that meets the needs and challenges of the 21st century, “…convinced that (GCED) is essential to empower learners with skills and values they need to be positive change actors.” Furthermore, she recognized the leadership role of APCEIU in the promotion of GCED, working closely together within UNESCO towards stronger and more efficient programming. For the keynote speech, Moon Chung-In, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Korea for Unification and National Security Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Yonsei, drew the backdrop of the Korean case of GCED, a retrospection of how GCED came into being in the Korean context despite many challenges. Historical memory of poverty and rapid development has caused the Korean society to develop a certain culture that includes attitudes such as low empathy and high nationalism, a major barrier to GCED. As such, he put emphasis on the importance of taking history and culture into account, as is underlined in the GCED textbook developed through a consortium between various provincial offices of education in the Republic of Korea. The panel discussion included presentations from practitioners of GCED including Karen Bryner, Director of Educate-A-Child Technical Department, Education Above All; Lily Gray, Liaison Officer, UNESCO Office in New York; Han Kyung-Koo, Professor, Seoul National University; Mareike Hachemer, Teacher and Member of the Global Goals Educator Task Force; and Theresa Ridings, Student Cohort, Lehigh University’s Global Citizenship Programme. Panelists discussed about their activities on GCED, and perspectives that they apply in doing so. The role of teachers has been stressed, in that they need to become global citizens first and to be provided with resources and capacities developed. Students beyond the formal education sector needs to be offered with opportunities on GCED, lest the cycle of marginalization will continue. As well, the message of the complementarity between national citizenship and global citizenship was an important topic in the discussion. In the words of Han Kyung-Koo, “I believe that a good patriot can be, and should be, a really good global citizen. National citizenship is not an event, it is a process, and so is global citizenship.” At his closing remarks, Ambassador Hahn Choonghee, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, put stress on the value of GCED beyond Target 4.7, as it achieves the ultimate goal of building peace through the United Nations. “I do not think that GCED is just a sub-target…rather it is our over-arching and ultimate goal for all SDGs, even the whole process of the United Nations. This is a common undertaking and it will be this solemn responsibility of our generation for our next generation’s children.” Related Link:http://webtv.un.org/search/the-role-of-global-citizenship-education-in-the-2030-agenda-and-beyond/5477618357001?term=Global%20Citizenship URL:Value of GCED for the United Nations highlighted in 2017 UN GCED Seminar > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
평화의 문화를 위한 세계시민교육 교사워크숍, 아프리카 레소토에서 개최 2018-12-26 Co-organized by Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) and Lesotho Distance Teaching Centre (LDTC), Workshop in Lesotho on GCED took place between 12 and 14 of July 2017 at Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho.As a post-Fellowship Programme, Fellowship Good Practices & On-site Training (Fellows in Action 2017) was launched this year to identify exemplary initiatives led by alumni of the UNESCO/KOICA Joint Fellowship Programme. The Programme is designed to provide support to the alumni of the Fellowship Programmes to share their good educational practices in local contexts, applying the knowledge and skills gained from APCEIU’s two-month training in Korea. The case of Ms. Nomsa Mpalami (2015 Fellowship Participant from Lesotho), ‘teacher training on peace education for non-formal educators in Lesotho’, has been selected as one of the three good practices, and the Workshop was implemented to further encourage her efforts to enhance the capacity of teachers in non-formal sector on GCED (Global Citizenship Education) and peace education. The Workshop invited 30 non-formal educators from different regions of Lesotho to learn about GCED with a focus of peace education and PVE (Preventing Violent Extremism) with sessions and lectures on conceptual framework of peace education led by Dr. Yonas Adeto (Institute of Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University), discussion and dialogue on ways of dealing with conflicts and methods of conflict transformation in their own contexts facilitated by Ms. M. Mohasi (Transformation Resource Centre, Lesotho), and workshops on creating learning materials on peace and conflict transformation reflecting the lessons learned, which will be used as teaching and learning resources for their learners. The learning materials created by the participants will further be polished and edited to be published as booklets on peace education by the publication department of LDTC, which will be disseminated throughout the country, including schools, community centers, libraries and other institutions where teachers can utilize them as teaching and learning materials. 
The 2nd International Conference on GCED: In Search of Solutions to Tackle Global Challenges 2018-12-26 With the rise of radicalism and nationalism, we have faced the increasing number of hate crimes against specific race, ethnicity, gender or cultural group and, consequently, an antagonistic atmosphere has been prevalent across the globe. Under these circumstances, there has been an ongoing demand for rethinking the role of Global Citizenship Education(GCED). In response, APCEIU held the 2nd International Conference on GCED from 13 to 14 September 2017 in Seoul to gather GCED practitioners and experts all over the world. Under the overarching theme of ‘in pursuit of GCED in a challenging environment’, this Conference was co-organized by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea in partnership with UNESCO HQ. This Conference successfully provided a platform where participants discussed the challenges we have face globally, nationally and locally when it comes to implementing GCED and reflected upon the direction of GCED. During the two-day conference, more than 400 educators, policy makers, scholars and youth representatives from 60 different countries had attended. Kim Sang-kon (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea), Norbu Wangchuk (Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Bhutan) took part in the Conference. This Conference attempted to provide interactive sessions which encourage participants to actively participate in, consisting of various plenary sessions and concurrent sessions. The plenary sessions intended to give an integrated overview on the theme of the Conference, while the concurrent sessions consisted of diverse programmes as panel discussions, case presentations, participatory workshops, theater and debate chamber. Beyond its emphasis on the importance of global citizenship, this Conference enabled discussions on how to make the world more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable and how GCED can address current imperatives. The first day of the Conference was initiated by a panel discussion which brought together a panel of experts and practitioners from respective fields of GCED. Entitled ‘how can we pursue GCED in a challenging environment’, the panel discussion touched upon the challenges that they have faced and the achievements made by tackling these challenges in each field, region and practice. The plenary session 2 took the format of a town hall meeting in which every participant exchanged their perspectives and actively debated with each other. More than 400 participants shared their views and ideas through Mentimeter, the real-time online voting tool. In the concurrent session 1 titled ‘exploring practices of GCED and their impact,’ participants discovered how GCED has been practiced and what kind of difficulties it has been facing specifically throughout primary and secondary education, higher education and civil society organizations. This session encompassed practices on GCED in all types of education-formal, informal and non-formal.The second day kicked off with the plenary session 3, which was led by a brief performance that embodied an ethos of global citizenship. The topic was ‘GCED in Action’ and the performance was given by the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA). The session was designed to provide hands-on experience wherein the audience can feel the importance and message of GCED through the medium of theater. Furthermore, as GCED is considered to be delivered through diverse mediums such as participatory activities, the concurrent session 2 attempted to focus on democratic dialogism, transformative pedagogy and how to teach controversial issues. In addition, comprised of distinctive three sessions, each session in the concurrent session 3 addressed supportive conditions to scale up GCED. Each session covered education policies, curricula and teacher education respectively, shedding light on the challenges that we have faced in implementing GCED and sharing the recommendations suggested by experts in their fields. The youth debate chamber, a special session, was organized during the concurrent session 3. Under the motion of ‘Can global identity and national identity coexist? ,’ the four debaters were divided into two groups which held different views-pros and cons. The audiences were required to cast their votes in favor of the side they support two times-in advance of the debate as well as after the debate, and the side that obtained the biggest number of votes in the end won the debate. Interestingly, the result of the initial vote was reversed at the moment of the final vote. Subsequently, Cho Heeyeon, the Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education gave a special lecture on ‘Global Citizenship Education for Empathy & Coexistence’, which introduced the process and accomplishments of GCED in the context of education in Seoul. The 2nd International Conference on GCED provided opportunities to exchange and deduce various ideas to effectively resolve issues by which GCED is currently confronted. The Conference (except concurrent sessions) was live-streamed online for those who were interested in GCED. URL:The 2nd International Conference on GCED: In Search of Solutions to Tackle Global Challenges > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
GCED Online Campus: Online Courses for Global Citizens has Launched! 2018-12-26 APCEIU has launched its e-learning platform on Global Citizenship Education ‘GCED Online Campus’ which offers various online courses on GCED to educators worldwide. (http://www.gcedonlinecampus.org/) As an e-learning platform on GCED, the online courses are expected to serve as a channel to introduce GCED to educators with its transformative approaches, as well as to deepen their understanding on thematic issues and practical knowledge. Two online courses titled ‘Glocal Justice and Peacebuilding’ and ‘Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Understanding’ are offered from 12 November 2017 till 10 December 2017, targeting educators who are interested in GCED and wish to deepen their understanding on the thematic issues of GCED, justice & peacebuilding and intercultural understanding. ‘Glocal Justice and Peacebuilding’Led by Dr. Toh Swee-Hin, the course invites educators, professionals and peacebuilders working in formal as well as non-formal educational contexts to learn about the relationship between conflicts and social justice at local and global levels. The course introduces peacebuilding initiatives to transform conflicts in both South and North contexts, identifies the root causes of conflicts and finally explores strategies that will allow nations and citizens to breed a Culture of Peace.(For more information, click here) ‘Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Understanding’The course ‘Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Understanding’ is offered by APCEIU’s partner institution, The Network University (TNU). The course is led by a team of three instructors, Ditta Dolejsiova Trindade, Gerd Junne, and Vic Klabbers. Targeting education and development practitioners, social and youth workers as well as policy-makers and civil servants, the course will enrich the participants with critical understanding on the importance of cultural diversity and intercultural understanding in a globalized world. In addition to getting acquainted to various theories, the participants will also work on their development strategy which can be utilized in their own context even after the course. Starting with the opening of the two courses, more courses will be launched soon after. Courses from GCED 101, an introductory course to GCED, to advanced courses on thematic issues and pedagogical approaches will continue to interest potential participants. Moreover, various types of resources on GCED are also available on the website, including lesson plans, and teaching materials on GCED to be used by teachers around the world. GCED Online Campus is open to all educators who are interested in and ready to learn about GCED. Please visit the website for more information on GCED Online Campus and the courses currently being offered (http://www.gcedonlinecampus.org/). URL:GCED Online Campus: Online Courses for Global Citizens has Launched! > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Regional Collaboration for SDG 4.7 explored at the Consultation Meeting of the Asia-Pacific UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education 2018-10-30 The Consultation Meeting of the UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education, entitled “Quality Education for a Peaceful and Sustainable Asia-Pacific: The Role of UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education 2030” was held from 23 to 24 November 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. Co-organized by the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok) and APCEIU, the meeting aimed to share the achievements and challenges of the participating organizations in the implementation of SDG 4 and to identify ways within their work plans on how to promote SDG Target 4.7 as a cross-cutting theme. This meeting is a first of its kind, which serves as an important opportunity to reflect on the year that was and open the discussion on how to promote synergies and increase the impact of planned activities together. The meeting gathered 25 participants from UNESCO Category 2 Centres in the Asia-Pacific, as well as Category 1 Institutes, relevant UNESCO field offices and UNESCO regional bureaus. The participating UNESCO Category 2 Centres include existing centres (APCEIU, INRULED, SACTD, SEA CLLSD), and the newly established centres (ICHEI, IMLI), making up to a total of six centres in education located in the region. The said centres are as follows: Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), Seoul, Republic of Korea International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), Beijing, People’s Republic of China South Asian Centre for Teacher Development (SACTD), Meepe, Sri Lanka South East Asia Centre of Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development (SEA CLLSD), Manila, Philippines International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI), Shenzhen, China International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), Dhaka, Bangladesh In her welcoming remarks, Ms Maki Hayashikawa, Director ai of UNESCO Bangkok extended her gratitude to APCEIU for contributing to the organization of the meeting. She also stated that “The meeting is timely as we have just finished with the General Conference, and UNESCO is in the process of finalizing its work plans for 2018-2021”. Reflecting the message from UNESCO Bangkok, Mr Utak Chung, Director of APCEIU, has mentioned that within the challenging environment that UNESCO is facing, cooperation among UNESCO entities, including regional bureaus, field offices, Category 1 Institutes and Category 2 Centres, is crucial in realizing the goal of the Organization, including SDG 4. The Meeting explored and identified the role of UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education 2030 by reinforcing cooperation and community-building and sharing achievements and strategies for realization of SDG 4 in the Asia-Pacific. It also explored possible areas of cooperation between UNESCO Category 2 Centres, Category 1 Institutes and Field Offices, with particular focus on SDG Target 4.7. The sessions on the first day included presentations from participating institutions on implementation and actions of SDG 4, with a special focus on SDG 4.7. Followed by the presentations, a mapping activity was held to identify SDG 4.7 activities and actions of each participating organization to explore the status of the SDG 4.7 implementation in the region. It was identified that many of the participating organizations have activities that focus on capacity-building of educators and research and development. Following this mapping activity, group discussions focusing on collaboration, particularly on mainstreaming SDG 4.7 in SDG 4 implementation activities of the organizations took place. The meeting ended with a presentation of UNESCO Bangkok on its plans for the new UNESCO biennium (2018-2019), sharing the status of the region on SDG 4, and areas of possible collaboration. A communications strategy between UNESCO bureaus, field offices, Category 1 Institutes and Category 2 Centres was proposed to sustainably promote cooperation. Joint programming, including the co-organization of activities that tackle the diverse topics of SDG 4.7 and the topics that different UNESCO Category 2 Centres are covering, has been proposed for further discussion in 2018. URL:Regional Collaboration for SDG 4.7 explored at the Consultation Meeting of the Asia-Pacific UNESCO Category 2 Centres in Education > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Social justice and equity: key principles for guiding action on the right to education 2018-10-25 “There is a widespread concern today over the growing inequalities around the world, not only among nations but also within countries,” says Mr Kishore Singh, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education. He spoke to UNESCO about the state of the right to education to mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “The gap between rich and poor all over the world caused by unbridled neo-liberal economy has become dramatic and its impact on education systems and the right to education is quite serious, resulting in increasing disparities and inequities in education,” he says. According to the former UN Special Rapporteur, “the empowering role that education can play in reversing this growing inequality is of paramount importance, but the first step would be to expand opportunities for good quality public education so that all children have access to education as a right.” International legal framework of the right to education Mr Singh emphasizes that the right to education without discrimination or exclusion is an internationally recognized universal right. In 1945, before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed, UNESCO’s Constitution clearly formulated the mission of the Organization and the responsibility of Member States for ensuring “full and equal opportunities for education for all”. The UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, adopted in 1960, laid down two fundamental principles of the right to education: equality of opportunity in education and non-discrimination. This Convention influenced other UN human rights conventions adopted subsequently as regards the provisions on the right to education, Mr Singh observed. Education as a public good The former Special Rapporteur says that States have an obligation and responsibility to comply with international norms and principles, and to take normative actions to ensure that the right to education is fully realized and to preserve education as a public good. “The right to education is an overarching right, essential for the exercise of all other human rights,” he says. “Its ‘empowering role’ can lift people out of poverty and equip them with skills, competencies and values that are beneficial not only to themselves, but to society as a whole.” Safeguarding education from forces of privatization Mr. Singh stated that the mushrooming of privatization of education over the past few decades is a matter of deep concern, threatening the concept of education as a public good. “Education is being commercialized, leading to greater inequities in society and gross violation of the principles and norms of the right to education. Because of this phenomenon and false propaganda in favour of privatization, the public education system is shrinking while privatization creates a social segregation and inequities.” “The privatization in education is a big threat to the Education 2030 Agenda and runs counter to the commitments by governments from all over the world to ensure good quality education free of costs, at least till secondary stage,” states Mr Singh. “In private educational institutions run by individual proprietors and enterprises, peoples’ economic status determines access to education, based often on exorbitant and unregulated fee.” He emphasizes that any discrimination based on economic status or social situation is outlawed by UNESCO’s Convention against Discrimination in Education and other international human rights conventions. And the Convention on the Rights of the Child adds “property” among the prohibited ground of discrimination in access to education. The former Special Rapporteur stresses the urgent need of stringent regulatory measures, with sanctions for fraudulent practices. Concern about use of digital devices in education On the use of ICTs in education and digital devices, Mr Singh recognizes the benefits these entail for providing access to information but he is also concerned about the ‘digital divide’ and inequality that these create. Pointing out that these are mere tools and should not be allowed to substitute face-to-face learning pedagogies and human contact in imparting education, Mr Singh warns against multiple risks that use of ICTs and digital devices carry, especially as regards human faculty for concentration and reflections. “Digital devices in education are yet another commercial entry points, and unfortunately, they can also be used in a negative way by fostering access to pornographic sites with risk of sexual abuse or exploitation, cyberbullying , as well as to content that is aggressive and violent etc. while undermining the quality of learning. ” For Mr Singh, social justice and equity are two core principles of the United Nations system for peace and development. “Social justice and equity should remain at the forefront of measures taken by States in order for the right to education to be protected, promoted and fully and equally enjoyed by all citizens.“ Join UNESCO’s #RightToEducation campaign and help spread the word about this key human right that has the power and potential to transform lives around the world. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/social-justice-and-equity-key-principles-guiding-action-right-education 
Education to prevent racism and discrimination: the case of anti-Semitism 2018-10-08 Education as the primary factor in preventing all forms of racism and discrimination was the main focus of a high-level event organized by UNESCO at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly today. Through the lens of its program to prevent anti-Semitism, UNESCO sought to mobilize Member States’ commitment in the fight against all forms of intolerance and to strengthen the organization’s overall efforts to prevent racism and discrimination. In her remarks opening the session on The power of education to prevent racism and discrimination: the case of anti-Semitism, Director-General Audrey Azoulay highlighted the importance of working as one: “this requires the mobilization of all member states”, she said, “and education is the best tool at our disposal to prevent all forms of intolerance and discrimination and to ensure equal respect for every woman and man,” adding “antisemitism undermines fundamental rights in general. To address it is to defend fundamental freedoms. It is to defend the equal dignity of all human beings.” In the presence of Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, the event included the participation of the Prime Minister of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, and Ministers representing Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Several hundred government officials and senior representatives of civil society organizations were also in attendance. Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, also delivered a speech. Professor Deborah Lipstadt, of the Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies program at Emory University and Mina Abdelmalak, Arab Outreach Specialist at the Initiative on Holocaust Denial and Antisemitism of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum were also among the speakers. UNESCO’s extensive work in the field of preventing violent extremism through education has included publications such as Guidelines for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims and co-publishing earlier this year with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the first-ever policy guidelines on Addressing anti-Semitism through education. *** Media contact: Aurélie Motta-Rivey, +33 7 72 44 89 91, a.motta-rivey@unesco.org URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/education-prevent-racism-and-discrimination-case-anti-semitism 
New data reveal that one out of three teens is bullied worldwide 2018-10-03 Almost one-third of young teens worldwide have recently experienced bullying, according to data released for the first time by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), which is the official data source for the Sustainable Development Goal on education. The new data show that bullying affects children everywhere, across all regions and countries of different income levels. They were collected from in-school surveys that track the physical and emotional health of youth. The Global School Health Survey (GSHS) focuses on children aged 13 to 17 years in low-income regions. Similarly, the Health Behavior in School-Age Children (HBSC) targets young people aged 11 to 15 years in 42 countries, primarily in Europe and North America. Bullying refers to violence between peers/students which is characterised as “intentional and aggressive behavior occurring repeatedly where there is a real or perceived power imbalance.” “Data are the key to change,” said Silvia Montoya, UIS Director. “They can reveal who is affected by bullying and point the way to better programming by both national governments and international and non-government organizations. Over time, trends can point out whether interventions are working. Ultimately, the more knowledge we have, the more we are able to channel resources to children who need help the most.” Globally boys are slightly more at risk of bullying in schools than girls. The data – which do not include sexual or other forms of gender-based violence – show that more than 32% of boys experience bullying in school, compared to 28% of girls. Yet when looking at the 10 countries where children report the highest incidences of bullying, the median rates tell a slightly different story. In these 10 countries, a staggering 65% of girls and 62% of boys report bullying, revealing that where bullying is most pervasive, girls are more widely impacted. External factors also have a role in bullying Socioeconomic and immigrant status also play a part in bullying, according to the HBSC data on children from Europe and North America. In these regions, socioeconomic status – based on parents’ wealth, occupation and education level – is the most likely predictor of bullying: two out of five poor youth are negatively impacted. This compares to one-quarter of teens from wealthier families. Finally, also based on the HBSC data, immigrant children tend to be more vulnerable to bullying than their locally-born counterparts. As migration around the world reaches new peaks, it is worth asking whether bullying will further complicate the ability of this vulnerable group to learn. UNESCO will release a short report on 8 October 2018, looking deeper at a large number of international data sources on bullying and other forms of school violence, and revealing trends in prevalence over time. A full version of the report, available in January 2019, will present an analysis of effective national responses to school violence and bullying through country case studies. Together with the annual compilation and analysis of global data on bullying by UIS, these reports will help countries understand the scale of school violence and bullying, and put in place the policies and actions needed to ensure that all children learn in safe, supportive and inclusive school environments, as agreed in the SDG4 framework. What are the main takeaways of the data? One-third of youth globally experience bullying in school. Boys experience slightly higher rates of bullying than girls overall, but in countries where bullying is most pervasive, girls are more vulnerable. Low socioeconomic status is the main predictor of whether young teens in wealthy countries will experience bullying in schools. Immigrant youth in wealthy countries are more likely to experience bullying in schools than locally-born youth. *** For more information, contact: Amy Otchet, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Montreal (Canada), a.otchet@unesco.org, tel: +1 514 343 7933 URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/new-data-reveal-one-out-three-teens-bullied-worldwide