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In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the decade 1995–2004 as the “Decade for Human Rights Education”. This was not a new idea ; it has been present since 1948 in all the major international human rights instruments. In its preamble, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that human rights are a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations”, and that all individuals and community bodies must endeavor to achieve them “through teaching and education”. The same idea is implied in the Constitution of UNESCO, which states that “…since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. Since these agreements, the importance of human rights education has been regularly emphasized in many regional and international human rights instruments.
At the same time, however, the extent and difficulty of the mission assigned to educators and teachers should not be minimized, for at least two reasons. Firstly, education about rights is usually not included in teacher training programs, in particular for primary and secondary education teachers. Unless they have become familiar with human rights through associations or advocacy groups, teachers remain empty-handed in this domain. The second reason is that this lack has grown even greater since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because international law has been vastly enriched through texts and institutions. The promotion of human rights has certainly gained momentum, but at the price of increasing complexity. The objective of this publication, in the form of a glossary, is to provide a guide to what is called “international human rights law”.
The idea behind this publication is to provide educators and teachers as well as all other interested individuals with the detailed meaning of the terms that we consider of importance in understanding human rights.
As it is mainly meant for the use of teachers, the selection of terms - or to use the language of lexicographers, the selection of entries - was based on two parameters.
The first parameter is linked to the comprehension of human rights : to provide teachers with the simplest yet most accurate definition of those terms that we consider most representative of human rights today. For a beginner, it is not always easy to understand this vast and complex judicial corpus. In addition to the inherent difficulty of judicial jargon, international human rights law resembles a baroque structure. It has developed with the experience of changing international political circumstances over a period of half a century. It reflects the decentralized nature of the world community. As a result, according to the system (regional or international) or the treaty, different terms are used to mean the same thing or the same term may not always mean the same thing. In the same way, institutions created for the protection of human rights may not all have the same competence even though they are designated by the same terms.
The second parameter is education. In this glossary, priority has been given to entries linked to education. The goal was to point out the rules that regulate the different aspects of this activity : educational content, the right to education, status of different educational levels, status of teachers, etc. Keeping this in mind, the reader will understand why there is an entry “Right to Education” and not “Right to Health”. The reader will also understand why, amongst all the international organizations, the ones selected were those dealing in one way or another with education.
In summary, the entries were selected because of their pertinence to human rights education, their relevance to questions of education as treated by the various international and regional human rights instruments.
The entries are classified in alphabetical order. In language that we hope is easy to understand without jeopardizing the precise meaning, each term is separately developed. When a specific term entails more than one meaning, all of them are explained. Equally, terms with the same implication are indicated. At the end of each entry, under the heading “See”, the reader will find a list of other entries linked to one or more of the terms used that entry.
The main sources used to elaborate the entries were international human rights instruments. The particular instruments used for an entry are indicated in the body of the text, stating the type of document (treaty or recommendation) as well as the organization that adopted it. When the document itself provides a precise definition, it is quoted in extenso. The second source of definitions was general international law, diverse manuals and law dictionaries. A chronological index providing an overview of the texts used in preparing this publication is annexed.
Two examples illustrate the manner in which this glossary can be used. The first example concerns a right : the Right to Education, and the second an organization : the United Nations Organization.
Presentation of the right to education as provided for in different instruments (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the General Comments of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).
Presentation of the view of different levels of education (primary, secondary and higher).
The heading “See” lists other entries that concern the right to education :
• Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights because it is the institution mandated to follow up its implementation ;
• Education Content and Objectives because States are obliged to observe certain contents ;
• Economic, Social and Cultural Rights because the right to education is one ;
• Human Rights Defender because a human rights teacher is a human rights defender ;
• Primary Education and Technical and Professional Education because these terms detail the conditions of these types of education ;
• Special Rapporteur because the Commission on Human Rights has appointed a Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education ; and
• General Comment because the right to education has been the subject of General Comments issued by various Committees.
Presentation of the organization, its mission and principal bodies.
The heading “See” lists a number of entries that concern this Organization :
• Commission on Human Rights, Economic and Social Council, General Assembly ;
• High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Court of Justice and Security Council because these are all bodies of this organization ;
• United Nations Charter because it is the founding document of the organization ; and
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights because it was adopted within the context of this organization.
It must be mentioned that the list of entries given under the heading “See” is not exhaustive. In fact, it could not be ; otherwise, each entry would contain all the terms of the glossary. It is up to the readers, therefore, to go beyond this heading and create their own links between the terms.
