On 9 December 2019, the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights co-organized an event in the United Nations Office at Geneva to launch the fourth phase (2020–2024) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education. Francesco Pisano, Director of the United Nations Library at Geneva, and Sabina Stadler, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the UN gave welcome addresses. Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave the opening remarks.
As the event was dedicated to youth, Elisa Gazzotti of the SGI Office for UN Affairs and chair of the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL) joined Mickaël Repellin of the “Centre de Conseils et d’Appui pour les Jeunes en Matière de Droits de l’Homme” (CODAP) to deliver remarks as young human rights advocates and educators. Sek Wannamethee, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the UN, gave closing remarks. The event in Geneva also featured concert performances by young UK-based musicians and a showing of the exhibition “Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education.” The exhibition aims to promote human rights education as a means to change lives in a positive way and for people to act as agents of change in their respective communities.
Symposium on human rights education held at the UNESCO Headquarters
On 13 December 2019, a symposium on human rights education was held at the UNESCO Headquarters. The event was co-organized by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Slovenia to the Office of the United Nations in Geneva, “L’Association Culturelle Soka de France” (ACSF), the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL), “L’Organisation pour le droit à l’éducation et la liberté d’enseignement” (OIDEL), the World Federation of United Nations Associations and the SGI Europe Buddhist Association. At the event, participants attended roundtables on the following four themes: The fourth phase (2020-2024) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, discrimination and social inclusion, global citizenship and faith and human rights.
Also at UNESCO Headquarters, another showing of the exhibition “Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education” was displayed from 10–18 December 2019. For the exhibition’s opening at UNESCO on 11 December, Jean Claude Gaubert from ACSF, Veronika Boskovic-Pohar from the Slovenia Mission and Elisa Gazzotti from SGI gave the opening remarks.
