The international community has increasingly expressed consensus on the crucial contribution of human rights education (HRE) to the realization of human rights as well as to the long-term prevention of human rights abuses and violent conflicts. In this sense, human rights education makes an essential contribution to the protection of human rights and supports communities and societies where the human rights of all are valued and respected. Provisions on HRE, and in particular within the school system, have been incorporated into many international instruments, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education, and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

In the school system HRE is an important component of the right to education, as it enables the education system to fulfil its fundamental aims of promoting the full development of the human personality and appreciation of human dignity, of strengthening respect for human rights and of delivering a quality education for all. In this sense, HRE contributes to improving the effectiveness of the education system as a whole, which in turn contributes to a country’s economic, social and political development.

This publication aims at assisting national authorities responsible for the school system with practical guidance to integrate human rights education in primary and secondary education. In particular, it will help them to assess where they stand, what they have accomplished so far and what areas need further attention.