Vietnam affirms the importance of human rights education

On September 27, at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on the occasion of attending the Session to adopt Vietnam's National Report under the Universal Periodic Review Mechanism, Cycle IV, within the framework of the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation, attended and delivered the opening speech at the International Seminar "Integrating human rights education into the education system: Sharing experiences and practical lessons".

The event was co-sponsored by Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia and Italy, chaired by Ambassador, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Geneva Mai Phan Dung and attended by speakers who were experts and representatives of Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Decade for Human Rights Education and the 20th anniversary of the World Programme on Human Rights Education (WPHRE) approved by the United Nations, Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized that the international community has achieved many achievements in promoting human rights education, including the key task of bringing human rights education into the school system.

The Deputy Minister said that countries and international organizations have had a lot of experience and effective ways of spreading human rights education in school systems at all levels and the continuing education system, promoting the participation of children and students in building human rights curricula.

Countries and international organizations have also made many efforts to promote international cooperation within the bilateral and multilateral frameworks on this issue. However, in reality, the sharing of experience in this work still needs to be promoted further, for example, not many countries have provided information to the WPHRE Program. Countries and relevant parties need to increase the exchange and sharing of knowledge in this field.

Deputy Minister Do Hung Viet affirmed that Vietnam shares with other countries that human rights education is an effective tool to help people ensure their rights, increase respect and understanding in society, and that also contributes to realizing the right to education.

Vietnam has also made efforts in this field, including the Project "Incorporating human rights education into educational institutions in the national education system".

One of Vietnam's priorities during its term as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2023-2025 is to promote the right to education and human rights education. Therefore, Vietnam wishes to co-sponsor the discussion with other countries to create more forums for countries to share experiences and contribute to the preparation for the implementation of Phase 5 of the WPHRE Programme (2025-2029).

Also at the seminar, Dr. Le Xuan Tung, Senior Lecturer of the Institute of Human Rights, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, shared the implementation of Project 1309 on integrating human rights content into the education program in the national education system in Vietnam with some outstanding results such as: Organizing human rights training courses for all teachers and lecturers in the national education system; compiling and publishing human rights education materials; building a human rights content framework for general education; integrating human rights content into general education programs from preschool to university level; educating human rights for leaders and managers throughout the political system through advanced political theory programs and promoting international cooperation on human rights education, in which the partnership between the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the Australian Human Rights Commission stands out.

At the event, delegates from many countries and regions shared best practices and lessons learned in integrating human rights education into school curricula.

>>> See more: In-depth knowledge "Human rights in Vietnam"

Many countries shared rich experiences in integrating human rights content into civic and social education subjects at all levels of general education; at the same time, implementing rights education topics specifically for certain groups such as girls, ethnic minority children, and civil servants.

Delegates also emphasized the need for active and comprehensive participation and coordination of schools, families, society and relevant parties in human rights education for children.

Coordinator for Human Rights Education and Training, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ms. Elena Ippoliti, shared that a comprehensive approach to human rights education is the synthesis of five components: Policy formulation; policy implementation measures; teaching and learning processes and tools; education and professional development of teachers and other education personnel; and the learning environment.

In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Mai Phan Dung said that the discussions at the seminar had made a meaningful contribution to identifying challenges and opportunities in integrating human rights education into national education systems, supporting countries to continue implementing the WPHRE Program.

The international seminar on “Integrating human rights education into the education system: Sharing experiences and practical lessons” is one of two signature initiatives of Vietnam within the framework of the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council from September 9 to October 11, 2024; along with the Interregional Declaration on Immunization and Human Rights. These are some of the eight priorities that Vietnam will promote during its term as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council from 2023 to 2025.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-khang-dinh-tam-quan-trong-cua-giao-duc-quyen-con-nguoi-post833632.html