Teaching Human Rights - Practical activities for primary and secondary schools by Sergio Vieira De Mello United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights 12:11pm 18th Jul, 2003   ABC: Teaching Human Rights - Practical activities for primary and secondary schools talks about us as human beings. It talks about the process of teaching and learning the significance of the inherent “dignity and worth of the human person” which is the “foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Preamble). And it talks about the rights that belong to us all.    These are not just lessons for the classroom but lessons for life – of immediate relevance to our daily life and experience. In this sense, human rights education means not only teaching and learning about human rights, but also for human rights: its fundamental role is to empower individuals to defend their own rights and those of others. This empowerment constitutes an important investment for the future, aimed at achieving a just society in which all human rights of all persons are valued and respected.    This booklet is a practical contribution by my Office to the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), during which Governments, international organizations, non governmental organizations, professional associations, all sectors of civil society and individuals have been especially encouraged to establish partnerships and to concentrate efforts for human rights education. The Decade provides us with a global common framework in which we can work together; indeed, the realization of human rights is our common responsibility, and its achievement is entirely dependent on the contribution that each and everyone will be willing to make.    I hope that this booklet and other initiatives based on it will lead many individuals who work as teachers and educators around the world to be positive agents of change.    Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Visit the related web page
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