CEO Monika Froehler speaks at UNODC Education for the Rule of Law: Advancing Engagement on Human Rights Conference
“Education in human rights and rule of law is wise investments for equipping future generations with a compass to navigate in an increasingly complex world,”Yesterday, Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens CEO Monika Froehler attended and spoke at UNODC’s Education for the Rule of Law: Advancing Engagement on Human Rights event that took place in United Nations Headquarter in Geneva. This event was co-hosted by UNODC and the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN in Geneva. Its aim was to explore the inter-linkages between human rights and the rule of law education and, particularly, to highlight the importance of empowering the next generation to uphold the rule of law and human rights.
CEO Froehler stressed the role of Education for Justice (E4J) in achieving the SDGs and promoting human rights. She said,
“there is a firm correlation between rule of law, human rights, education and the SDGs. It has been proven that those countries on track to achieve the Global Goals have all these in place. Their attainment is key.”
Stellar speakers who joined the event are:
H.E. Ali Al-Mansouri, Ambassador and Permanent Rep of the State of Qatar to the UN Geneva
Mr. John Brandolino, Director of the Division for treaty Affairs at UNODC“Doha Declaration was established to prevent crime and uphold rule of law. This promotes justice for each and every person and encourages building institutions to benefit all.”
H.E. Major-General Dr. Abdullah Al-Mal, Legal Advisor to the PM and Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar“Respect for one cannot exist without respect for the other. Educating youth on justice must consider the various dimensions of human rights that are intrinsic therein.”
Dr. Najat Maalia M’jid, Special Rep of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children“Supporting and promoting the rule of law cannot be achieved without protecting human rights. Therefore, it’s critical that we look more at strengthening education around human rights.”
Mr. Ibrahim Salama, Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Branch at OHCHR“Through education, we empower children and youth, including the most vulnerable, to leave no one behind…Nothing for them without them!”
Addressing education and preventing violence against children, she added, “when youth are provided with tools to reach their full potential they will be driving forces towards promoting a culture of lawfulness and achieving the SDGs.”
Dr. Koumbou Boly Barry, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education“If there is one single thing which links all changes, it’s education. If you speak about education and the role of law, you’re essentially speaking about human rights.”
Ms. Damaris Akhigbe, Education for Justice (E4J) Youth Champion“It’s fundamental that human rights is integrated into education. If we want to change the world, we need to invest in education, which is free, quality and inclusive.”
Mr. Marco Teixeira, Global Coordinator for Global Programme for the implementation of the Doha Declaration at UNODC“Youth are tired of the way things are. We are now the drivers of change. We’ve seen it with Malala. We’ve seen it with Greta. Change is here.”
“Youth are ready to act for rule of law. Education for Justice provides the necessary platform to make world more peaceful, just and inclusive and implement the UN Youth Strategy and human Rights.”
© UNODC“In Education for Justice, we work with young people. This is essential as they are agents of positive change.”
“Rule of law and promotion of human rights are very closely related. Education youth on rule of law issues has a direct bearing on building a next generation that will stand up for human rights.”
BKMC CEO Monika Froehler stresses the importance of GCED and E4J at the UNODC Conference
The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens team and the Women’s Empowerment Program Asia (WEP Asia) fellows participated in the International High-Level Conference “Educating for the rule of law: Inspire. Change. Together.” hosted by UNODC’s Doha Declaration Global Programme in Vienna, Austria on October 7th, 2019.
BKMC CEO Monika Froehler participated in Session II “‘Talking’ rule of law & ‘building bridges’: comprehensive approaches to building a culture of lawfulness and also moderated Session III “Creative approaches to strengthening the rule of law through education: good practices from around the world.”
She introduced existing initiatives and best practices of education for justice (E4J) such as UNESCO publications, UNESCO APCEIU’s GCED Online Campus, SDG Academy’s edX, OSCE, UNODC’s Education for Justice, and more. She said that different forms and tools of education that are effective should be adapted and utilized.
As Froehler introduced the WEP Asia fellows to the crowd, she emphasized that youth empowerment is crucial and also that
Yoshimitsu Yamauchi, Assistant Vice-Minister of Justice of Japan, said that general education taught in a family also contributes to the overall development of society. Sharing collaborative examples between the educational sector and the justice sector, he stressed the importance of mutual understanding, involving the private sector, treating the rules equally, and seeing what is behind the constitution.
Salem Al-Ali, Assistant Secretary-General of the Prevention Sector at the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority, also emphasized on the importance of youth engagement:
The audience also actively involved themselves in the discussion and shared various perspectives. A representative from Ukraine said that informal education that comes from communications and/or home brings values that cannot be learned but can only be earned through one’s engagements and soul. The Ambassador for Nigeria spoke about the existing language barrier for education, stressing the importance of providing access to education for all. A youth representative from Thailand also said that people from diverse backgrounds should be able to feel that they are represented.
As a closing remark, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, First Lady of Kebbi State of Nigeria, said that
BKMC CEO Monika Froehler participated in Session II “‘Talking’ rule of law & ‘building bridges’: comprehensive approaches to building a culture of lawfulness and also moderated Session III “Creative approaches to strengthening the rule of law through education: good practices from around the world.”
“Education for justice should be taught at all levels,” said Froehler at the Session II.
She introduced existing initiatives and best practices of education for justice (E4J) such as UNESCO publications, UNESCO APCEIU’s GCED Online Campus, SDG Academy’s edX, OSCE, UNODC’s Education for Justice, and more. She said that different forms and tools of education that are effective should be adapted and utilized.
She said, “education on Global Citizenship and the SDGs is the key” and “what is spent for weapons should rather be spent for education.”
As Froehler introduced the WEP Asia fellows to the crowd, she emphasized that youth empowerment is crucial and also that
“we need to focus on ladies and girls, and we need to educate them to be part of the movement, change, and these initiatives.”Patricia Colchero, Coordinator of Research and Studies at the National System for the Integral Protection of Children and Adolescents of Mexico, said that
“we need to respect educators and youth, and rules should be applied fairly.”She also emphasized that emotional skills should be taught and developed along with the traditional education on knowledge.
Yoshimitsu Yamauchi, Assistant Vice-Minister of Justice of Japan, said that general education taught in a family also contributes to the overall development of society. Sharing collaborative examples between the educational sector and the justice sector, he stressed the importance of mutual understanding, involving the private sector, treating the rules equally, and seeing what is behind the constitution.
Salem Al-Ali, Assistant Secretary-General of the Prevention Sector at the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority, also emphasized on the importance of youth engagement:
“education policy should be extended all the way to youth and young generation so that they can fight corruption.”During Session III, best practices and challenges of education for justice in Brazil, Macedonia, Qatar, and Nigeria were presented. Aly Jetha, President and CEO of a cartoon company Big Bad Boo Studios, shared his company’s efforts in utilizing cartoons to educate children for justice and to teach them a global citizenship mindset.
The audience also actively involved themselves in the discussion and shared various perspectives. A representative from Ukraine said that informal education that comes from communications and/or home brings values that cannot be learned but can only be earned through one’s engagements and soul. The Ambassador for Nigeria spoke about the existing language barrier for education, stressing the importance of providing access to education for all. A youth representative from Thailand also said that people from diverse backgrounds should be able to feel that they are represented.
As a closing remark, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, First Lady of Kebbi State of Nigeria, said that
“the world needs to invest in education now.”The Conference successfully provided the international community with an opportunity to discuss ways and means to promote education for the rule of law through diversified and creative educational approaches and activities.
© BKMC / Eugenie Berger
