RES/20/7 The right to education: follow-up to Human Rights Council resolution 8/4

GE.General Assembly resolution 65/1. 2-15318

Human Rights Council Twentieth session

Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council

20/7.

The right to education: follow-up to Human Rights Council

resolution 8/4

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming Human Rights Council resolution 8/4 of 18 June 2008 and all other Council resolutions on the right to education, the most recent of which is resolution 17/3 of 16 June 2011, and recalling the resolutions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights on the subject,

Reaffirming also the human right of everyone to education, which is enshrined in, inter alia, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and other relevant international instruments,

Bearing in mind General Assembly resolution 64/290 of 9 July 2010 on the right to education in emergency situations,

Welcoming the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training by the General Assembly in its resolution 66/137 of 19 December 2011,

Deeply concerned that, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, although there has been progress in many areas, the world is not on track to achieve the Education for All targets set for 2015 and that most of the goals will be missed by a wide margin, and by the particular challenges faced in that regard by countries affected by armed conflicts,

 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of

the Council on its twentieth session (A/HRC/20/2), chap. I.

Mindful of the role that the full realization of the right to education plays in helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and noting in this regard the commitments relating to education contained in the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals,1 including to ensure quality education and progression through the school system,

Bearing in mind that the lack of enjoyment of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, among others, can also have a serious negative impact on the enjoyment of the right to education,

Noting the thematic report entitled “Tackling violence in schools: a global perspectives—bridging the gap between standards and practice” prepared by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children,

1. Calls upon all States to take all measures to implement Human Rights Council resolutions 8/4, 11/6 of 17 June 2009, 15/4 of 29 September 2010 and 17/3 with a view to ensuring the full realization of the right to education for all;

2. Notes with appreciation:

(a) The report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education on normative action for quality education;A/HRC/20/21.

(b) The work of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies and special procedures in the promotion of the right to education;

(c) The work undertaken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the promotion of the right to education at the country, regional and headquarters levels;

(d) The contribution of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other relevant bodies towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals of achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity in education and the goals of the Education for All agenda;

(e) International initiatives to promote quality in education, including at the regional level;

3. Calls upon all relevant stakeholders urgently to increase their efforts so that the goals of the Education for All agenda can be achieved by 2015;

4. Urges all States to give full effect to the right to education by, inter alia, promoting quality education by such means as:

(a) The development and strengthening of domestic legal and policy frameworks in that regard for the entire education system;

(b) The implementation of quality assessments with a view to promoting equitable education systems, learning opportunities and the empowerment of women, giving particular consideration to the educational needs of segments of the population that are economically and socially marginalized;

(c) The provision of a healthy, hygienic and safe learning environment, with adequate water and sanitation facilities, including sex-segregated toilets, and healthy classrooms;

(d) The improvement of teachers’ qualifications and working conditions;

(e) The allocation of adequate financial resources to quality education, including through national and international resource mobilization and international cooperation;

(f) Support for research and encouragement of further debate on quality education;

(g) The putting in place of regular mechanisms for dialogue that will enable individuals, civil society organizations and all relevant stakeholders to contribute, where appropriate, to the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the realization of the right to education;

5. Urges States and other relevant stakeholders to pay enhanced attention to education in emergency situations by, inter alia, enhancing the protection of schools from attacks and strengthening safety and disaster risk reduction;

6. Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner, the treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council and other relevant United Nations bodies and mechanisms, specialized agencies and programmes, within their respective mandates, to continue their efforts to promote the realization of the right to education worldwide and to enhance their cooperation in this regard, including by enhancing technical assistance to Governments;

7. Stresses the importance of the contribution of national human rights institutions and non-governmental and civil society organizations to the realization of the right to education, including through cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on the right to education;

8. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

31st meeting

5 July 2012

[Adopted without a vote.]