Human Rights Education Exhibition Held in UN Office at Geneva and UNESCO

On December 9, the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights co-organized an event to launch the 4th phase (2020–2024) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education, dedicated to youth in the United Nations Office at Geneva. The event included welcome addresses by Francesco Pisano, director of the United Nations Library at Geneva, and Sabina Stadler, ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the UN, and opening remarks by Kate Gilmore, United Nations deputy high commissioner for Human Rights.

Elisa Gazzotti from SGI Office for UN Affairs and chair of the NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (NGO WG on HREL) and Mickaël Repellin of the Centre de Conseils et d’Appui pour les Jeunes en Matière de Droits de l’Homme (CODAP) made their remarks as young human rights advocates and educators. Sek Wannamethee, ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Thailand to the UN gave his closing remarks. During the event, the exhibition Transforming Lives–Power of Human Rights Education was displayed at the venue and a music concert of young artists from the UK took place.

On December 13, a symposium on human rights education was held at la Maison de l’UNESCO. 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), 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), World Federation of United Nations Associations and the SGI Europe Buddhist Association. At the event, roundtables were held 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.

From December 10 to 18, the exhibition Transforming Lives–Power of Human Rights Education was displayed at the venue. 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. On 11 December 2019, the exhibition opened at la Maison de l’UNESCO. Jean Claude Gaubert from ACSF, Veronika Boskovic-Pohar from the Slovenia Mission and Elisa Gazzotti from SGI gave the opening remarks.