From 15–18 March 2023, the exhibition “Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education” was held at Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. SGI created the exhibition together with HRE 2020 and the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Launched in 2017 to mark the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, the 25-panel exhibition illustrates the vital role of human rights education in promoting dignity, equality and peace, and in preventing human rights violations and abuses.

Local SGI Canada women’s group leader Iole Iadipaolo worked with several community groups to support the exhibition showing. Cosponsors were the City of Windsor; the New Canadians’ Centre of Excellence Inc.; Legal Assistance of Windsor, a service jointly run by the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor and Legal Aid Ontario; Anti-Racism Organizational Change of the Office of the Vice-President, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Windsor; and the Interfaith Group of Windsor and Essex County.

The exhibition presents stories of how human rights education has empowered and transformed the lives of individuals and communities in Australia, Burkina Faso, Peru, Portugal and Turkey. It also examines what ordinary citizens and civil society organizations can do to nurture a culture of human rights.

A closing event for the exhibition was held on 18 March with a message from City of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and remarks from community leaders. In a message, SGI Canada General Director Glenn Turner highlighted the importance of cultivating a spirit of empathy throughout society in order to combat violence and hatred.

The “Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education” exhibition is currently available in English, French, Japanese and Korean.