Participants of the side event “Human Rights Education for, with and by Youth—Advancing All Human Rights for All”
Human rights education is one of the most important tools and investments we have to promote freedom, defend people from discrimination, and foster cohesion. … But we must do more. Every child—whether a future farmer, digital worker, doctor or shopkeeper—should know that human rights are our birthright and concern us all.
SGI and the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL) co-organized a side event to the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 16 September 2025 titled “Evaluation of the Fourth Phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education: The Way Forward.” Representatives from 17 countries and multiple NGOs attended.
Panelists shared national initiatives, including Brazil’s human rights film festivals, Mexico’s youth empowerment programs, and Mongolia’s human rights education (HRE) evaluation strategies. Professor Veronika Fikfak of University College London highlighted the importance of climate action and digital literacy in HRE.
Elisa Gazzotti of SGI (second left) moderating the side event “Human Rights Education for, with and by Youth—Advancing All Human Rights for All”
The 2025 Social Forum followed the HRC on 30 and 31 October. SGI co-sponsored a side event: “Human Rights Education for, with and by Youth—Advancing All Human Rights for All.” Elisa Gazzotti of SGI moderated the discussion between the two main panelists, young educators Dejana Stosic and Andrés Allán Sánchez Osorio from “Changemakers: Stories of Young Human Rights Educators,” the multimedia tool developed by SGI, Amnesty International and OHCHR.
Stosic shared, “With everything happening in the world, especially in Gaza, it felt like human rights were just theory… Human rights should be taught not as a subject, but as a means of survival.”
The Forum emphasized education as a right and an enabler of all other rights, highlighted global teacher shortages and explored strategies to protect education in conflict zones, including the Safe Schools Declaration. Participants stressed decolonizing education and integrating artistic and human rights-centered approaches.
Through both events, SGI reinforced the role of HRE in empowering youth to create just, peaceful and equitable societies.
