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	Ongoing challenges in Tibet by Sophie Richardson Human Rights Watch, agencies   July 2018   China: Crackdown on Tibetan Social Groups. (Human Rights Watch)   Chinese authorities are using an ostensible anti-mafia campaign to target suspected political dissidents and suppress civil society initiatives in Tibetan areas, Human Rights Watch said in a report released this week. The authorities are now treating even traditional forms of social action, including local mediation of community or family disputes by lamas or other traditional authority figures, as illegal.   The 101-page report, “‘Illegal Organizations’: China’s Crackdown on Tibetan Social Groups,” details efforts by the Chinese Communist Party at the local level to eliminate the remaining influence of lamas and traditional leaders within Tibetan communities. The report features rare in-depth interviews, state media cartoons depicting the new restrictions, and cases of Tibetans arbitrarily detained for their involvement in community activities.   “Police and Chinese Communist Party cadres already had virtually unlimited power over the daily lives of Tibetans,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. “But now authorities can prosecute people for simply gathering for any purpose not directly mandated or approved by the state.”   In February 2018, the Tibet Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau published a list of newly defined forms of “organized crime” in a circular – the first set of such prohibitions to be announced at the provincial level. The now-banned activities include any initiatives for the promotion of local language and culture, and protection of the local environment. The document deems those activities to be expressions of support for the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and therefore subversive. Similarly, traditional forms of social organization, such as the mediation of community and family disputes and community welfare funds, are characterized as organized crime.   Human Rights Watch found that the criminalization of innocuous forms of social activism has been official policy in some Tibetan areas since 2012. That policy accounts for numerous detentions and prosecutions of community activists, and closures of local schools and other self-help groups during this period. Local regulations from Chamdo Municipality in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Malho Prefecture in Qinghai Province ban any “group with more than five members” formed without official permission, and declare any popular initiative for the promotion of Tibetan language, culture, and religion, or for protection of local environment and wildlife, to be agitation for Tibetan independence and collusion with “foreign anti-China forces.”   As a United Nations member state, China has affirmed acceptance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which promotes the rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, expression, and to participate in the cultural life of the community. These new regulations are the latest evidence that China is systematically violating these rights in Tibetan areas, Human Rights Watch said. The Chinese government, Party officials, and state security forces should immediately end their unjustified interventions into the creation and conduct of independent social associations in Tibetan communities.   Concerned governments and UN bodies should publicly call on China’s leaders to reconcile the laws and policies restricting the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association with their claims to respect the rule of law. These concerns should also be expressed at China’s review under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination at the UN in August 2018.   “Beijing repeatedly claims that Tibetans have autonomy and their rights as an ethnic minority are respected,” Richardson said. “But the realities show only increasing repression of Tibetans’ daily lives and basic human rights.”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2018/07/29/china-crackdown-tibetan-social-groups   June 2018   UN human rights experts condemn 5-year jail term for Tibetan activist. (OHCHR)   UN human rights experts have condemned a five-year jail sentence handed to Mr. Tashi Wangchuk by a Chinese court for his work promoting cultural and linguistic rights of the Tibetan minority of China. The Intermediate Court in Yushu, Qinghai province, made public its verdict on 22 May, nearly five months after hearing the case against Mr. Wangchuk.   Mr. Wangchuk was arrested in January 2016 for participating in a documentary in which he appealed for education in the Tibetan minority language and for the right of Tibetan people to partake in their cultural life. He has been held in detention since his arrest.   The Court found him guilty of “incitement to separatism”.   “We are gravely concerned about the sentencing of Mr. Tashi Wangchuk, and the sanctioning of his right to freely express his opinion about the human rights of the Tibetan minority of China,” the experts said.   “Governments should under no circumstances undermine or repress legitimate human rights advocacy and action, such as in this case, using national security, public order or anti-terrorism discourses”, they added.   “It is deeply concerning that this sentencing came after we issued two joint communications calling for his immediate release and for all of the charges to be dropped,” the experts said.   “We asked the Government to provide information about specific measures undertaken to promote and protect the linguistic and cultural rights of the Tibetan minority. We regret that, to date, the Government of China has not yet provided us with a satisfactory response.”   In December 2017, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an Opinion which found that Mr Wangchuk’s detention was arbitrary and in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.   “Once again, we strongly urge the Chinese authorities to comply with their international human rights commitments, to grant Mr. Wangchuk immediate release and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations.” http://bit.ly/2JKg48a   June 2017   Chinese authorities are increasingly using opaque policy terms in official media to tighten repression in Tibet, Human Rights Watch said in an illustrated glossary released today.   Tibet: A Glossary of Repression explains and illustrates a dozen terms that appear benign or even positive but are in fact used to ensure total compliance and surveillance by officials of ordinary Tibetan people. The glossary includes terms that relate to political and social control, such as “comprehensive rectification,” “no cracks, no shadows, no gaps left,” and “every village a fortress, everyone a watchman.”   “Orwell himself would be hard pressed to invent a better vocabulary of totalitarian management,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. “But ultimately the message of the Chinese authorities’ terms for Tibetans is clear: political nonconformity will be punished, severely.”   These terms are used – and frequently repeated – not only to persuade populations inside and outside Tibet of the correctness of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule and its policies, but also to deter criticisms of the Party and any challenge to its rule. These terms – few of which are explained in a manner comprehensible to the general public – reflect a profoundly repressive approach to governance in Tibet.   In Tibetan areas within China, and particularly in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), officials have long adhered to the “stability maintenance” policy: a range of policing and administrative systems aimed at preventing, controlling, or punishing social dissent and social disorder used across China – as one way to eradicate support for the Dalai Lama. But when a new wave of protests in support of the Dalai Lama broke out across the Tibetan plateau in spring 2008, Party leaders commissioned researchers to develop new methods to prevent future unrest.   This led to the introduction, from 2011 onward, of new administrative and security mechanisms in the TAR, including permanent teams of cadres installed as managers in every monastery and religious institution, teams of cadres deployed for three years in every village to organize security operations and political education, and “grid system” offices set up to monitor and manage each block or group of homes in every town and many villages.   “Understanding terms like ‘social rectification’ makes clear Chinese authorities’ intentions in Tibet: that all life and daily behavior will be under surveillance, and any problematic conduct will be identified and swiftly punished,” Richardson said. http://bit.ly/2s20fMW   http://www.hrw.org/asia/china-and-tibet Visit the related web page
	New UN resolution again urges States to take action on commercialisation of education by Right to Education Initiative, agencies   October 2017   Over 80 francophone organisations worldwide meet in Dakar to oppose privatisation of education, by Sylvain Aubry.   A week after France and Senegal announced that they would co-host in Senegal the replenishment of a major education development initiative, more than 80 organisations and State representatives from 24 Francophone countries ware due to meet in October at the Institut de la Francophonie pour l’éducation et la formation in Dakar to discuss the commercialisation and privatisation of education.   Noting the alarming growth of private actors in education, they will strategize to provide appropriate responses to preserve the right to free and quality education in all countries, in what will be on of the biggest civil society conferences on the issue.   This mobilisation follows the Francophone call against commercialisation of education of November 2016, which gathered the signatures of more than 300 organisations. The involvement of private actors in the education sector and its commercialisation for profit, was questioned by a network of civil society organisations, several UN declarations and the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education.   The impact of this trend in terms of quality of educational contents, discrimination and social inequalities makes it a major challenge for advocates of the right to education.   The meeting will articulate experiences derived from field work. It will aim at finding collective answers, bearers of meaning and innovation, facing the commercialisation of education. The meeting will also be an opportunity for Francophone actors to comment and express their views on the Human Rights Guiding Principles on the obligations of States regarding private actors in education, which are currently being drafted.   The meeting is taking place a few weeks after the commitment made by French President Macron and Senegalese President Sall, to organize a global meeting on education in February 2019 in Dakar. It is taking place in the context of a renewal of the voice of Francophone institutions and civil society organizations in international debates on education.   In November 2016, the International Organisation of La Francophonie recognised the problems inherent to the commercialisation of education, and the 57 heads of member States committed themselves in the Declaration of Antananarivo to act for public education and to regulate the private education sector. An informal network of Francophone organisations has since been set up to follow up on the declaration and work in this direction with the States. This meeting will enable to develop common lines of work for the coming years.   News organisations are invited to the Institut de la Francophonie pour l’Éducation et la Formation for the opening ceremony of the Francophone meeting on privatization in education. http://bit.ly/2xZEQXQ   Privatisation of education: http://bit.ly/educprivat Situation in francophone countries: http://bit.ly/privfr Press release in French: http://bit.ly/2xTeV3W   http://globalinitiative-escr.org/advocacy/privatization-in-education-research-initiative/   June 2017   New UN resolution again urges States to take action on commercialisation of education   In a new important UN resolution adopted today, States have reaffirmed the urgency to address the negative impacts of the commercialisation of education, which could undermine human rights.   The resolution, which was adopted by the UN Human Rights Council by consensus, urges all States “to put in place a regulatory framework for education providers, including those operating independently or in partnership with States, … that… addresses any negative impact of the commercialization of education” (para. 2.e).   It also calls on States to “regulate and monitor education providers, and to hold accountable those whose practices have a negative impact on the enjoyment of the right to education”. (para. 4), while “recognizing the significant importance of investment in public education” (para. 3).   This resolution comes against a background of a massive growth of private education providers in developing countries in the last 15 years, sometimes with the support of donor States and agencies, which has raised multiple human rights concerns.   “This UN resolution confirms once again that the current global trends towards commercialising of education constitutes a major human rights risk that needs to be monitored and addressed urgently, with the risk otherwise to see inequalities and tensions in communities raise to an unbearable point. This is not about opposing private schools; it’s a recognition that an adequate regulatory framework is essential to ensure that children and parents are not abused by unscrupulous actors, and that there’s no other way but to invest in public education to address inequalities” said Sylvain Aubry, a Legal and Research Advisor at the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.   This resolution confirms a previous landmark statement made last year by the Human Rights Council, demonstrating the urgency and increasing consensus in regulating and monitoring private education providers, particularly in the current context of the commercialisation of education.   “This strong statement is very welcome and important in the current context where more and more multinational companies operate schools that challenge national regulations in developing countries. It is also very relevant to reflect on the development policies of donor States, as some of them, such as the UK, have been supporting commercial chains of schools, even when it undermines human rights” said Delphine Dorsi, the Executive Coordinator of the Right to Education Initiative.   This year’s resolution also made a new addition urging States to assess the quality of education, “including through independent assessments”. This statement was added in a context where independent scrutiny of private schools has been stopped several times in the last months, including when a researcher was arrested in Uganda, and an independent research stopped in Liberia – leading to a protest letter signed by over 30 leading academics.   Signatories: Amnesty International, Amnesty International Sénégal, Centre d’Actions pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et le Développement Durable (Bénin), Coalition Education (France), Coalition for Transparency and Accountability in Education (Liberia), East African Centre for Human Rights (Kenya), Equal Education Law Centre (South Africa), Fédération Internationale des Céméa, Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition, Global Campaign for Education, Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Initiative for Economic and Social Rights (Uganda), Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education, Program on Human Rights in the Global Economy, Re-Sources Enfances Bruxelles, Right to Education Initiative, Solidarité Laïque (France) http://bit.ly/2tewv44   * July 2017 (Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, agencies)   174 civil society organisations from around the world have have released a statement calling on investors to cease support for Bridge International Academies, a company running over 500 commercial private schools in the Global South with the support of international donors and investors.   This statement comes two years after a similar one that was addressed to the World Bank. It has been signed by a broad range of organisations from 50 different countries, including human rights, development, community-based, and faith-based organisations, as well as trade unions, demonstrating increasing, broad-based, and large-scale concerns regarding the commercial operations of Bridge Academies:   http://globalinitiative-escr.org/174-organisations-call-investors-to-cease-support-to-bridge-international-academies/   July 2017   Nigeria has ''largest number of children out-of-school'' in the world. (BBC News)   Nigeria has the largest number of children in the world who are not being educated, the government has said.   Acknowledging the scale of the problem the education ministry''s permanent secretary Adamu Hussaini said it was "sad to note" that Nigeria had 10.5 million children out of school.   This is the first time senior officials have admitted the size of the problem. Cultural factors have been blamed but critics point to a lack of money going to publicly funded schools.   The UN''s children''s agency, Unicef, has been campaigning on this issue as well as a number of other groups.   On a visit to the country last week, education activist Malala Yousafzai met acting president Yemi Osinbajo and asked him to declare what she called "an education state of emergency in Nigeria".   Mr Hussaini said those most affected were girls, street children and the children of nomadic groups and added that economic prosperity can only be achieved with an "inclusive and functional education system".   But BBC Hausa editor Jimeh Saleh says the failure in the education system is also due to a lack of government funding, rather than any cultural factors as suggested by the ministry.   "Government funded schools in Nigeria have practically collapsed over the years because of poor funding leaving children from poor homes with nowhere to go but the streets," he says.   Unicef estimates that 60% of Nigerian children not attending school live in the north of the country. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-40715305   April 2017   How governments are failing on the right to education. (Action Aid)   This report presents important new findings on the right to education from citizen-led research in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Nepal. Unlike most such studies it is the product of research and analysis by children, parents, teachers and community organisations who have actively scrutinised the performance of their local schools against core dimensions of the right to education. The process has helped to deepen people’s engagement as citizens in holding their government schools and their public education systems to account.   Ten areas are highlighted where the right to education has been undermined and promises have been broken. Government spending is unnecessarily constrained meaning too many children remain out of school and too many costs are passed on to parents. Girls and children with disabilities face particular disadvantage, sometimes including violence. Infrastructure is often inadequate and governance systems are often weak and not inclusive. Teachers often face overwhelming class sizes, making it hard for children to learn:   http://www.actionaid.org/publications/how-governments-are-failing-right-education Visit the related web page
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