Serious human rights violations including corruption, human trafficking, racism and discrimination persist across Europe, according to a report published by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland in May 2014. Unemployment and poverty in many countries are nurturing extremism and conflicts. The report represents the first consolidated analysis of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, based on the findings of the Council of Europe’s monitoring bodies. The report points out in particular “The member States widely supported the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education, adopted in 2010. However, two years after its adoption, one third of countries had not yet begun its implementation. In many cases, this results from a lack of financial support due to the economic crisis. However, we often see political prioritization on “education for employability”. If this is not balanced with education on democratic citizenship, it can promote a concept of students as a labour force, rather than as active citizens”.
A Joint Meeting of the Council of Europe Network of Coordinators for Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education and of the Pedagogical Club of European Capitals, which will be held in Strasbourg on 21-22 October in the framework of the European Local Democracy Week, will explore the current challenges in the area of citizenship and human rights education, and in particular the role and contribution of local authorities in this area. The participants will discuss possible avenues for future action and for strengthening cooperation and networking at different levels.
This meeting will also provide an opportunity to take stock of the preliminary results of the 2014 cycle of the EU/CoE Pilot Projects Scheme “Human Rights and Democracy in Action” and to identify priority areas for cooperation in 2015. This cooperation platform set up in May 2013 constitutes an innovative means for the implementation of the Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education in the participating countries and for strengthening the cooperation among and between the states party to the European Cultural Convention in the area of citizenship and human rights education.
Programme and presentations
Welcome addresses
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Mr Jean-Christophe Bas, Director of Democratic Citizenship and Participation, Council of Europe
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Mr Boris Zhebrovsky, President of the Pedagogical Club of European Capitals
Présentations
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Council of Europe work on Education for Democracy – Mr Villano Qiriazi, Head of Education Policy Division, Council of Europe
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Education for Democracy: The role and contribution of local and regional authorities - Ms Andrée Buchmann, Advisor, Regional Council of Alsace, France / Member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
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Connecting policy and practice: 5th Anniversary of the Regional Academy “Democracy at School” - Ms Marlena Falkowska, EDC/HRE Coordinator for Poland (including a video projection)
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Building partnerships for inclusive societies (in French)- Ms Tatiana Nagnibeda-Tverdohleb, Head for Education department in Chisinau, Moldova
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Democracy in action: promoting children’s participation - Dr. Marjo Kyllönen, Deputy Head of the Division for Basic Education, City of Helsinki Education Department, Finland
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The role of education in rebuilding trust in divided communities – Ms Briege Arthurs, Chief Executive Officer, South Belfast Partnership Board, United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)
Pilot projects 2014: progress achieved and expected outcomes
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Pilot Project I –Mr David Kerr, EDC/HRE coordinator for United Kingdom (England)
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Pilot Project II – Ms Marina Minova, EDC/HRE coordinator for Belarus