On 24 January 2020, the exhibition “Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education” opened at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) headquarters in Geneva. The event was organized by the UNHCR, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL) and the Permanent Missions of Slovenia and Italy to the UN.

The opening event included remarks from Gillian Triggs, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection; Sabina Stadler, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the UN Office at Geneva; Todd Howland, OHCHR Development and Economic and Social Issues Branch Chief; Aya Abdullah, UNHCR Global Youth Advisory Council member and Elisa Gazzotti of SGI, Chair of the NGO WG on HREL.

Ambassador Stadler remarked that tackling global challenges requires that “our decisions at all levels are grounded in the common understanding [of] being one human family and that all of us are equally deserving of dignity, respect and justice. The task of human rights education is just that—generating and nurturing this understanding.”

In her remarks, Gazzotti shared her hope that the exhibition’s real stories of people’s empowerment and how they are making changes for the better in their lives would inspire visitors. She added, “We hope that, recognizing the key role we can all play, we can act as engaged individuals to improve and protect the lives of people in our immediate surroundings.” The exhibition was on display at the UNHCR until 7 February 2020.