After two years of challenges due to COVID-19, this year Member States will have to submit their midterm report to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the national implementation of human rights education.

In addition, the mandate of the current Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Koumbou Boly Barry, appointed in 2016 during the 32rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC32), will conclude and in June 2022–during the 50th anniversary of the HRC–a new Special Rapporteur will be appointed, opening up the possibility that human rights education is substantially included as part of their mandate.

Moreover, in September 2022, a new resolution on human rights education will be proposed at HRC51.

With this in mind, on 16 March, during the General Debate Item 3 of HRC49, the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL), currently chaired by Elisa Gazzotti of SGI, delivered an oral statement. The statement called on Member States to review progress in the national implementation of human rights education and training by submitting their midterm reports on the fourth phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2020-2024), to OHCHR, to share the collective responsibility for HREL. Sian Bagshaw of the World Organization of the World Scout Movement delivered the statement on behalf of 16 organizations including SGI.

During this HRC session, OHCHR presented the Report on the “Panel Discussion on the Tenth Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training: good practices, challenges and the way forward” which was held during HRC48 in September 2021. The Report mentions the oral statement of Amnesty International and Soka Gakkai International.