Quel thème pour la 4ème phase du Programme mondial d’éducation aux droits de l’homme?

L’OIDEL, qui préside le groupe d’ONGs pour l’éducation et la formation aux droits de l’homme a organisé mardi dernier un événement parallèle, dans le cadre de la 37^ème session du Conseil des droits de l’homme, sur le thème de la 4^ème phase du Programme mondial, qui débutera en 2020. 

Près de 80 personnes dont 19 représentants de Missions permanentes sont venus écouter les présentations riches et intéressantes des panélistes, parmi lesquels : H.E. Maurizio Enrico Serra, Ambassadeur de l’Italie, représentant ici la plateforme d’Etats sur l’éducation et la formation aux droits de l’homme ainsi que Mr Abdulaziz Almuzaini, Directeur du Bureau de Liasion de l’UNESCO à Genève, tous deux co-sponsors de l’événement. Ont suivi les interventions de Johan Olhagen du Haut-Commissariat ainsi que celle de Lydia Ruprecht, chef de la section de l’éducation à la citoyenneté mondiale et à la paix de l’UNESCO, puis celle de Charline Thiéry, de la Commission Nationale Consultative des Droits de l’Homme de la France et enfin celle de Patrice Meyer-Bisch, Directeur de l’Observatoire de la diversité et des droits culturels.

Le Bureau du Haut-Commissariat va envoyer très prochainement un questionnaire aux gouvernements des Etats membres ainsi qu’aux Institutions Internationales des Droits de l’Homme dans le but de recueillir leurs priorités pour cette quatrième phase et leurs suggestions de thématiques ou de secteurs. Le Groupe de Travail avait à cœur de réunir, à ce moment particulièrement propice, toutes les parties prenantes. L’OIDEL a pour sa part soumis au Conseil une déclaration écrite suggérant une approche culturelle transversale qui, à travers la prise en compte de la diversité culturelle, renforce l’universalité des droits de l’homme. Une perspective particulièrement intéressante pour assurer la mise en œuvre de l’éducation aux droits de l’homme.

Claire de Lavernette, Présidente du Groupe des ONGs sur l’éducation et la formation aux droits de l’homme

(ngowghrel.wordpress.com)

 

 

 

 

 

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Equity and Inclusion on Education: New report

The last report of the Special Rapporteur, Koumbo Boly Barry, transmitted to the general Assembly is about equity, inclusion and non-discrimination on education.

The first part of the report consist on the legal definition of these terms according to the human right international legislation.

The special rapporteur recalls that human rights international legislation prohibits discrimination in education on the basis of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, economic condition and birth. The definition and the core of what should be considered discrimination in the field of education is based on the Convention against Discrimination with the right to education, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Right, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and United Nations Declaration on the Right of Indigenous People.

Also, the special rapport mentions that it is important to distinguish between equity and equality in education to properly tackle this problematic. Equality refers to treating all students the same. Equity is providing all students with what they need to succeed. Thus, equity implies taking into consideration the social circumstances of each student including ethnic or religious background. As said by the special rapporteur. On this regard she mentions “Respect for diversity should be reflected in curricula, which should be sensitive to the culture and religion for learners”

Inclusive education, according to the report, is about providing the same learning environment for students of diverse background and abilities. It is interesting to observe that Mme. Boly mentions that inclusion has to go beyond disable people and include also the inclusion of students with different linguistic and cultural aspects. It is important to observe that the special rapporteur emphasize a participatory and holistic approach to make inclusion happen. On this regard she mentions “Effective inclusion must be implemented through education laws and policies, and it must also incorporated into the culture and practices, within school”. Besides that inclusion is intrinsically good, the special rapporteur recalls that the outcomes of inclusive education are also really good as they lead to the best learning outcomes of students.

After these definitions, the special rapporteur focuses on the legal definitions and implications that Mme. Boly has to be implemented concerning certain vulnerable groups. She made reference to Women and girls, children with disabilities, poor people, cultural ethnic and linguistic groups, indigenous communities, rural population, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons, nomadic peoples, Roma children, stateless people and the role of private education. In most of the cases she follows the same methodology. For each particular vulnerable group she mentions the international human rights documents that can concern them; secondly it makes references to the comments concerning discrimination, equity and education made by the Committees and thirdly it mentions good practices and challenges. The followed methodology enables an easy use of it due to its systematization.

The Special Rapporteur warns that the primary responsibility for implementing the right to education as an equitable and inclusive right lies with governments. Nevertheless, the international organizations must provide targeted political, financial and technical support, especially in relation to the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and implement the Education 2030 Framework for action.  On this regard, she also recalls the participatory approach of the Education 2030 with the civil society.

Ignasi Grau

Here you can find the full report: http://www.right-to-education.org/sites/right-to-education.org/files/resource-attachments/UNSR_RTE_Inclusion_Equity_2017_En.pdf

Las cinco dolencias de la escuela

Voy ahora a señalar las principales dolencias que afectan a la institución educativa. El diagnóstico vale especialmente para los países latinos. Señalo cinco puntos clave:

1. Los poderes públicos son simultáneamente proveedores de servicios, proveedores de recursos financieros y responsables de la evaluación. ¿Cómo se puede esperar de ellos una evaluación objetiva y transparente de la eficiencia del sistema? Nadie puede ser parte y juez à la vez
2. Si hablamos de economía, existe una falta de conciencia real de los costes por parte tanto de los actores como de los usuarios, lo que conduce a menudo a gastos incontrolados o ineficientes. Se podría hablar aquí de anonimato de la financiación y de ilusión de la gratuidad.
3. La escasa libertad pedagógica lleva a la uniformidad de programas y métodos. Para el alumno, la disyuntiva es adaptación o fracaso, con todo el sufrimiento que este fracaso trae, pero también con el costo que conlleva. Y esto – desgraciadamente – se hace para promover la igualdad de oportunidades.
4. La escuela estatal es, por definición, una máquina administrativa pesada que lucha por adaptarse a los cambios con muchas dificultades. Una mayor confianza en los actores es indispensable para cambiar de lógica. Además, con frecuencia, las reformas son impulsadas más por presiones políticas que por las necesidades de los alumnos.
5. El sentido de la responsabilidad disminuye a medida que aumenta la lejanía de los centros de decisión. Debido a la complejidad de su funcionamiento, la escuela estatal aparece a menudo a los alumnos ya sus padres como una estructura de poder que les ignora. El personal de la escuela se queja de la “dimisión” de los padres. Es evidente que los padres se comportarían de otro modo si pudieran colaborar en estructuras más flexibles y eficaces.

Alfred Fernandez

Comité de personas con discapacidad: la importancia de la inclusión.

Entre el 14 de agosto y el 1 de septiembre de 2017 ha tenido lugar en el Palacio de las Naciones (Ginebra), el 18° Período de Sesiones del Comité sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (CRPD). De acuerdo con el artículo 35 del Convenio del que emana este Comité, se examinarán con periodicidad las políticas llevadas a cabo por los Estados Parte en la materia. En esta sesión se examinaros las políticas  de Panamá, Marruecos, Montenegro, Letonia, Luxemburgo, y el Reino Unido.

Los expertos designados por los Estados Parte destacaron la importancia de que las autoridades públicas lleven a cabo políticas destinadas a la integración de personas con discapacidad en la vida en sociedad. Los expertos criticaron especialmente la imposibilidad que sufren las personas con discapacidad de muy diverso tipo de participar activamente en la vida política del país.

En relación con la Educación, los expertos propusieron y preguntaron a los Estados sobre los planes de educación inclusiva que numerosos Estados (como España o Ecuador) ya han puesto en marcha. En este sentido, se animó a los Estados a dejar de un lado la teoría y el compromiso y a hacer realidad la pretensión, eliminando así las barreras sociales y construyendo los puentes de la educación inclusiva para las personas con discapacidad. Eso sí, siempre teniendo en cuenta las necesidades especiales de cada persona con discapacidad en las instituciones educativas y la adaptación del programa académico, pero realizándose esto de forma inclusiva.

El viernes 25 de agosto el Comité organizó s una jornada de reflexión sobre el alcance del artículo 5 de la Convención. Dicho artículo lleva como título: “Igualdad y no discriminación”. En este debate se destacó la necesidad de alcanzar la igualdad de las personas con discapacidad en lo referente a la protección legal por parte de la acción del Estado y en la protección ante la Ley. De igual manera, se debatió sobre la importancia de las medidas de acción positiva como herramienta necesaria para acelerar la igualdad de hecho de las personas con discapacidad.

Íñigo Martínez Elósegui

 

El presidente de la CIJ en la Comisión de Derecho Internacional

Ronny Abraham, actual Presidente francés de la Corte Internacional de Justicia se centró principalmente en dos temas: las medidas cautelares y las decisiones emitidas por la Corte.

Comenzó su intervención haciendo mención al trabajo llevado a cabo por la Corte Internacional de Justicia en el último año: en seis nuevos casos y l siete decisiones . En relación a dichas decisiones consideró conveniente señalar que no versan sobre el fondo de cualquier tipo de controversia si no sobre incompatibilidades y ordenanzas de admisibilidad viéndose limitada la jurisprudencia sustancial durante este último período.

A continuación, enumeró las ordenanzas para las medidas cautelares referidas a los procesos más recientes y profundizó en dicha materia. Cabe señalar que ha habido tres ordenanzas recientes (Guinea Ecuatorial vs. Francia, Ucrania vs. Rusia e India vs. Pakistán) y que el Presidente considera esta cifra relativamente importante puesto que confirma una tendencia que destaca sobre periodos anteriores.  Asimismo, estableció que las  decisiones de la Corte con respecto a las medidas cautelares permiten confirmar la orientación establecida del Tribunal sobre los criterios para concederlas o rechazarlas.

Por último, señaló que ha habido siete nuevos casos este añoy que hay acutalemente  19 casos pendientes en la Corte Internacional de Justicia y, en palabras de D. Ronny Abraham, “es una cifra que nunca antes se había alcanzado ni si quiera a lo largo de las últimas décadas y eso exige unos esfuerzos concretos por parte del Tribunal de adoptar decisiones en un plazo necesario. Mientras más aumentan los casos más necesario es aumentar el tiempo o no perder el tiempo en el desarrollo de los procedimientos jurídicos”.

 

Teresa de la Iglesia Rodríguez y Salve Martínez Gil-Rivera

Trans-humanism and Cyber-culture

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A public side event was held on Wednesday June 14, 2017 at the Palais des Nations focusing on Trans-humanism and Cyber-culture, the objective of this event presented by Osman El Hajjé, followed by Juan Garcia, Alfred Fernandez and Alfred de Zayas was to reflect on the relationship between human rights and science and technology. This is of crucial importance when developments in biology, nanotechnology and computers in particular pose fundamental human rights challenges. It is a matter of looking at science in the light of human rights and of placing respect and protection of rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights – especially cultural rights – at the center of sustainable human development.

The Trans-humanism definition, explained deeply by Alfred Fernandez, is a movement to slow aging in the capacity physic. Singularity is the moment when in the years of 2040 to 2080 that technologies will take over the humans. Big companies such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook are investing billions of dollars wanting technologies to regulate global warming and not humans, but it will take over humans eventually.

The topic’s event was chosen due to the fact that there is a huge gap between developing countries and developed countries explained Juan Garcia. Everyday, more and more futuristic robots and technologies are being created in every domain almost starting a technological revolution. More precisely is focus on two domains, which are the organic domain of the human beings; either to make it better or to recreate it. Secondly, the information ad communication technic is creating virtual spaces. Trans-humanism by definition is the social and scholarly advancement development that attests the craving to on a very basic level enhance the human body and its present condition. This is done through procedure of innovation development to upgrade physical and mental limits.

In general, when technologies evolves it only evolves with the communication, however many types of technologies are evolving and creating robots in every domains, as stated earlier. The distinguishing of technology that affects human and science to recreate can already be made.

To conclude, we have seen that everyday the world is advancing as well with its technologies and on how technology is placed in every department with each a very specific ask to follow, now the question to be thought of is, Can trans-humanism and cyber-culture develop it self to a point where we will live in harmony with machines? Or is the development of trans-humanism going too far where robots will control us?

 

Eloise Christophi

REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS Edmund Rice International, May the 4th, Room XXVI

The side event organized by “Edmund Rice International” outlined the situation of the UK policies in the same day in which the UK underwent the UPR (Universal Periodic Review) at the UN.

EPI’s representatives focused on the conditions of refugees in the UK, starting from the consideration of the programs the government has put in action.

The panelists shown that, with regard to the other European countries, the UK receives only the 5% of the total flow of immigrants, number that will easily allow the improvements needed. Nonetheless, wealthy UK finds itself behind poorer countries in the ranking of European States providing quality support to the refugees. In addition, in 2016, 70% of the requests for asylum were refused, either for the absence of a document recognized or the condition of statelessness.

The accepted refugees, according to the regulations, are granted 28 days of accommodation by the government, after which they are left with no house, no employment aid and no support.

From this analysis, ERI recognized a number of charitable safety nets present in England that help refugees through these hard times. Even so, they found that the majority of asylum seekers are marginalized, constantly on the move, living in a limbo with no security or hope for the future.

In April 2017, the British Red Cross published “Can’t stay, Can’t go”, a Report on the condition of asylum seekers in the UK, highlighting how this condition of uncertainty, lack of legal representation and knowledge of the language, is the cause of enormous distress.

The other Report issued by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), “Refugees Welcome?”, focused on the absence of real projects and solutions to address the emergency of refugees. In the document, APPG suggests integrative strategies, English language teaching and to prolong to 50 days the governmental accommodation.

These Reports are in line with the intervention made by the EPI and other member States during the UK session at the UPR. They found though that the answers of the Ministry of Justice to the questions do not mirror the actual situation in the UK.

During the UPR pressure was made to ameliorate the conditions of asylum seekers and their transitions into society; at the same time, the panelists stressed, no attention was given to other very serious issues linked: food poverty and homelessness.

The representative of the “Trussel Trust”, for the elimination of food poverty in the UK, reminded that no data nor attention has been given by the government to address the issue of food poverty. Generally caused by benefit changes and delays, this condition could be easily avoided by governmental interventions and programs.

Homelessness in Northern Ireland is another issue very sensitive and not addressed in the UPR nor by the government. “Welcome” organization’s data show grave marginalization of the problem of a small region with a troubled historical background where the condition of homelessness touches 18,628 persons, 52% of which are single male adults.

In conclusion, the welfare reforms and safety net claimed by the Ministry of Justice at the UPR session, according to the representative of Welcome, cannot be found on the ground. Furthermore, the panelists find necessary for the government to recognize organizations as more than safety net and to implement its project in order to reach the standards set in the international documents that the UK signed.

Beatrice Bilotti