World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing)

On 10 December 2004, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the World Programme for Human Rights Education (2005-ongoing) to advance the implementation of human rights education programmes in all sectors. The World Programme was established by the General Assembly’s resolution 59/113 (10 December 2004). OHCHR provides global coordination of the World Programme.

Building on the achievements of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004), the World Programme seeks to promote a common understanding of basic principles and methodologies of human rights education, to provide a concrete framework for action and to strengthen partnerships and cooperation from the international level down to the grass roots.

Programme structure

Unlike the specific time frame of the Decade, the World Programme is structured in consecutive phases to further focus national human rights education efforts on specific sectors/issues. The focus areas of the different phases are as follows:

• First phase (2005-2009): Human rights education in the primary and secondary school systems
• Second phase (2010-2014): Human rights education for higher education and on human rights training programmes for teachers and educators, civil servants, law enforcement officials and military personnel
• Third phase (2015-2019): Strengthening the implementation of the first two phases and promoting human rights training for media professionals and journalists
• Fourth phase (2020-2024): Youth empowerment through human rights education
• Fifth phase (2025-2029): Youth, including children as priority sectors, human rights and digital technologies, the environment and climate change, and gender equality

View an infographic about the phases of the World Programme to date.