Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child

OHCHR and children

OHCHR and children

Issues in focus

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OHCHR and children

Issues in focus

Receiving an education aimed at empowering children with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to contribute to an equitable society, is a fundamental right of every child according to article 29(1) of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, and as grounded in article 26(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The contribution of accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education to the achievement of peace and security and sustainable development is recognized by the Security Council in its resolution 2601 (2021), and in Target 4.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is also a stated aim of the fourth phase (2020-2024) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education.

Quality education for peace and tolerance for every child holds the potential to transform societies. It is a recognition of the important role that children can play in advancing social inclusion and social cohesion – key components of conflict prevention and in ensuring the sustainability, inclusiveness and success of peacebuilding efforts and lasting peace.

2023

The Human Rights Council, on 11 October 2023, adopted resolution 54/5, on Ensuring education for peace and tolerance for every child. The resolution recognized the fundamental contribution of the enjoyment of the right to education to the achievement of peace and security, acknowledging that investment in universal, free, accessible, equitable and inclusive quality education in a secure online and offline environment is essential to ensure the immediate and long-term development of children. It urged the international community and States to place greater emphasis on promoting peace and tolerance by designing and implementing policies whereby education systems promote sustainable development and gender equality, help to prevent all forms of violence, and instill the principles of tolerance and respect for others, as well as cultural and religious diversity.

The resolution requested OHCHR to organize a panel discussion on accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, at its fifty-seventh session (September-October 2024).

The resolution also requested OHCHR to prepare a comprehensive report with specific recommendations on how to develop accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, in line with the provisions of resolution 54/5 and in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, and how to incorporate it into educational programmes, to be presented to the Council at its fifty-ninth session (June-July 2025).

2024

The panel discussion on Quality education for peace and tolerance for every child will take place on 18 September 2024 from 10 am to 12 pm at Room XX (Palais des Nations, Geneva). The stated objective of this panel discussion is to address the implementation of the obligations of States under relevant provisions of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and to discuss challenges and best practices in this regard. Documentation prepared for the panel discussion can be found here:

OHCHR, together with Arigatou International, will organize an informal expert group meeting in Geneva, on 17 September 2024. The purpose of this meeting is to develop guidance for the framing of the report and identify its key areas of focus which will be used to develop the public call for input. The documentation relating to the meeting can be found here:

The public call for input on the report will be issued on 20 September 2024 and will remain open until 8 November 2024.

2025

The OHCHR comprehensive report on Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child will be presented to the Council at its fifty-ninth session, considering the outcome of the panel discussion and in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. It will focus on providing specific recommendations on how to develop accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, in line with the provisions of resolution 54/5, and how to incorporate it into educational programmes, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.