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Soka Gakkai International (SGI), World Federation Of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Pax Romana, Organisation Internationale Pour Le Droit A L'education Et La Liberte D'enseignement (OIDEL), Interfaith International, Association For World Education, Pan Pacific And South East Asia Women's Association (PPSEAWA), International Movement Against All Forms Of Discriminatin And Racism (IMADR), Women's Federation For World Peace International (WFWPI), People's Decade Of Human Rights Education (PDHRE), Women’S World Summit Foundation (WWSF), International Federation Of Social Workers, New Humanity, International Federation Of University Women (IFUW), Worldwide Organization For Women (WOW), Institute For Planetary Synthesis (IPS), Anglican Consultative Council (ACC)

Agenda Item 10, Technical assistance & capacity building

I speak on behalf of 17 organisations that uphold human rights education and learning as an essential agenda of the international community. We welcome the proposal of Costa Rica to extend for 2 more years the first phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education. Although the World Programme was launched on 1 January 2005 with its first phase from 2005 to 2007, the Plan of Action for the first phase was eventually adopted by the General Assembly in July 2005, 7 months after the proclamation of the World Programme. In addition, dissemination of information requires additional time to have the World Programme well recognised by all countries. Accordingly, the initial 3 years have not been sufficient for the focused implementation of the first phase. Therefore, we consider that the proposed extension is appropriate and necessary.

This extension would enable all actors and civil society to promote the dissemination and the development of human rights education tools so as to make information about human rights protection available in all countries. It will also contribute to public education about human rights institutions taking into account national capacities.

We would also like to reiterate the importance of human rights education and training for government officials, and law enforcement officers, including all actors of the judicial systems in all countries.

We would like to call upon all member states to continue consideration of human rights education and learning in the future sessions of the Human Rights Council and follow up on the implementation of the Plan of Action of the World Programme for Human Rights Education.

To that end, we also request the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to closely collaborate with all UN agencies through the UN Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee of the World Programme. This will contribute to ensure the effective implementation of the World Programme with special attention paid to national efforts and progress made, as well as to the challenges to be addressed.