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State obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the context of business activities 2017, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Such extraterritorial obligations of States under the Covenant follow from the fact that the obligations of the Covenant are expressed without any restriction linked to territory or jurisdiction. Although article 14 of the Covenant does refer to compulsory primary education having to be provided by a State “in its metropolitan territory or other territories under its jurisdiction”, such a reference is absent from the other provisions of the Covenant. Moreover, article 2 (1) refers to international assistance and cooperation as a means of fulfilling economic, social and cultural rights. It would be contradictory to such a reference to allow a State to remain passive where an actor domiciled in its territory and/or under its jurisdiction, and thus under its control or authority, harmed the rights of others in other States, or where conduct by such an actor may lead to foreseeable harm being caused. Indeed, the Members of the United Nations have pledged “to take joint and separate action in cooperation with the Organization” to achieve the purposes set forth in article 55 of the Charter, including “universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion”. This duty is expressed without any territorial limitation, and should be taken into account when addressing the scope of States’ obligations under human rights treaties. Also in line with the Charter, the International Court of Justice has acknowledged the extraterritorial scope of core human rights treaties, focusing on their object and purpose, their legislative history and the lack of territorial limitation provisions in the text. Customary international law also prohibits a State from allowing its territory to be used to cause damage on the territory of another State, a requirement that has gained particular relevance in international environmental law. The Human Rights Council has confirmed that such prohibition extends to human rights law, when it endorsed the guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, in its resolution 21/11.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- According to evaluations, despite its short duration, the project’s focus on education is a promising practice for a number of reasons. First, what started as a civil society organization initiative attracted the institutional support of the National Institute of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science in the dissemination of the educational guidebook in schools, the development of the teacher training module and the roll-out of training sessions. In addition, the undertaking created a political space for civil society organizations and public authorities to take action in a challenging context, allowing meaningful steps towards fulfilling the objectives of the strategic action plan.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Embrace diversity and energize humanity 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Full enjoyment of human rights by such persons is a longitudinal challenge, starting in the home and extending to the educational system, the work place and life beyond. Discrimination is also intersectional. Many countries are, however, still hampered by the lack of or insufficiency of anti-discrimination measures, which is linked with the environment leading to violence and discrimination. There is thus a need for effective anti-discrimination measures covering both the public and private spheres, and of a comprehensive kind: not only formal but substantive, not only de jure but also de facto, in addition to the building of a community open to understanding and respecting sexual and gender diversity.
- Body
- Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
State obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the context of business activities 2017, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The obligation to protect means that States parties must prevent effectively infringements of economic, social and cultural rights in the context of business activities. This requires that States parties adopt legislative, administrative, educational and other appropriate measures, to ensure effective protection against Covenant rights violations linked to business activities, and that they provide victims of such corporate abuses with access to effective remedies.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Corruption and the right to health 2017, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- While medical doctors and other health-care workers are accountable and responsible for ethical conduct and non-corrupt behaviour, it is crucial that corrupt practices and institutional corruption do not affect decisions made at the level of academic medicine. Medical schools that train future medical doctors and carry out medical research and university hospitals that provide a tertiary level of health-care services and use expensive biomedical technologies have a key role in preventing corruption in the rest of the health-care system. It is very important to use the principle of academic autonomy in a responsible way. The academic medical elite has enormous power over decision-making and when they advise policymakers on how to invest resources proper accountability mechanisms need to be in place.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Compendium of good practices in the elimination of discrimination against women 2017, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Public education and teacher training are a crucial entry point for addressing systemic discrimination and promoting a culture of human rights, undertaken in tandem with complementary measures for systemic change.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to inclusive education 2016, para. 61b
- Paragraph text
- [A comprehensive and co-ordinated legislative and policy framework for inclusive education must be introduced, together with a clear and adequate time frame for implementation and sanctions for violations. It must address issues of flexibility, diversity and equality in all educational institutions for all learners, and identify responsibilities at all levels of government. Key elements will include:] A clear definition of inclusion and the specific objectives it seeks to achieve at all educational levels. Inclusion principles and practices must be considered as integral to reform, and not simply an add-on programme.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The right to education must be incorporated into national Constitutions and legal systems so that its normative framework can be operationalized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- A number of initiatives and foundations support the development and dissemination of open educational resources. The Open Educational Resources Commons provides access to digital learning materials for all levels of education in English. Teaching materials and textbooks for all subjects are available for pre-primary to secondary schools, as well as for university courses and adult education. The Open Education Consortium is a non-profit global network of educational institutions, individuals and organizations that collaborate and develop open educational materials, including textbooks and courses in 26 languages, particularly in the sciences and technology. The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education acts as a as a centre of excellence and provider of technical support and expertise in the area of information and communications technology usage in education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- The "digital tsunami" is so powerful that legal and policy responses are not able to keep pace with it. The need for and the importance of digital technologies not only as tools but also as resources in teaching and learning processes and in creating immense possibilities of connections and collaboration must be recognized. Governments need to break down barriers to open information, eliminate digital divides and expand usage and coverage of digital services. They must optimize regulations and public policies and enhance the governance of the Internet to ensure the safe, equal and healthy application of information and communications technologies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Massive open online courses provide an alternative path to higher education. Many universities worldwide are now offering online courses, either alone or in conjunction with a massive open online course provider. Many enthusiastic promoters of knowledge societies, networking and lifelong learning can dream today of a world converted into a giant classroom in which there are a few powerful global teachers and millions of assimilators of information and knowledge packages through the Internet. Similarly, open educational resources can harness the new possibility afforded by digital technology to address common educational challenges. As a result, the landscape of higher education is undergoing rapid transformations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur deems it important to recognize that both the individual and society are beneficiaries of the right to education; the right to education is an individual right; and it is also a social right and carries "social responsibility" in education. Education, training and lifelong learning "contribute significantly to promoting the interests of individuals, enterprises, the economy and society as a whole". Thus, the collective responsibility to foster lifelong learning devolves upon key stakeholders: upon Governments to invest and create the conditions to enhance education and training at all levels; upon enterprises to train their employees; and upon individuals to make use of their education, training and lifelong learning opportunities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In the light of what appears to be the relatively common State practice of not giving explicit legislative recognition to individual economic and social rights, the most important question is whether legislation, or an equivalent form of legal instrument, can be dispensed with altogether by a State that claims to be fulfilling its obligations through other means. In practice, the argument will usually be that legislation has been adopted in relation to the issue or sector in question, and it is unnecessary for any reference to be made in that legislation to the relevant human right. In other words, to take the example of the right to food, the argument would be that it is sufficient that there is legislation in place that addresses food safety or food security, even though it reflects no explicit rights dimension. Or, in the case of the right to education, laws dealing with the establishment of educational institutions are considered sufficient, even if there is no acknowledgement that education is a human right.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Attacks against schools, teachers and students during armed conflicts are particularly worrying as they interfere with education precisely when it can be of most benefit, not only to teach essential life skills but also to promote respect, tolerance and understanding, all of which are vital for social reconstruction and cohesion. Affected populations often view education as essential to both their short- and long-term well-being, as it helps mitigate the psychological and social impacts of conflict by creating a sense of normality, stability, structure and hope and, therefore, to overcome a crisis. All parties to a conflict have a responsibility to ensure safe access to education. It is essential that there be continuous engagement with non-State armed groups on the protection of education to remind their leadership of their obligations to avoid interfering with education, whether directly or indirectly.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- In order to take advantage of the many opportunities associated with open educational resources and online learning in general, standards and quality assurance mechanisms need to be agreed and adopted, especially for monitoring, measuring and validating learning outcomes. Policies regulating the development and use of these resources should be designed to add value to existing education policies and to contribute to meeting education goals, rather than to function as isolated, additional policy documents.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Prohibitive regulations are necessary to ensure that fraudulent practices, for example in the online delivery of education, and any attempt to commercialize education are not allowed. Governments should prohibit all commercial advertising and propaganda on the virtues of information and communications technologies that are detrimental to basic human values and ban any portal or website facilitating pornography, violence, cybercrime, terrorism and any other crime.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to inclusive education 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- With regard to international cooperation, and in line with SDG 4 and the Education 2030 Framework for Action, all bilateral and multilateral cooperation must advance inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, including support for capacity building, exchange and information sharing and best practices, research, technical and economic assistance, and facilitating access to accessible and assistive technologies. All data and spending of international assistance on education should be disaggregated by impairment. Consideration of an international coordination mechanism on inclusive education to operationalize SDG 4 and to build evidence, contribute to a better policy dialogue and monitor progress.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Developing countries, especially the least developed countries, cannot meet the changing needs of learners in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies. Providing citizens with possibilities for engaging in lifelong learning is a challenging task. International cooperation for lifelong learning is thus critically important. The Special Rapporteur commends the concern expressed in this regard in the normative framework of ILO: "increase technical and financial assistance for developing countries and promote, at the level of the international financial institutions and funding agencies, coherent policies and programmes which place education, training and lifelong learning at the centre of development policies ".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The negative impact of information and communications technologies on the quality of learning, as well as on the mission of universities as the seat of learning, must be taken into consideration. Without diversified sources, massive open online courses can reinforce a monolithic education system. A greater proportion of students are reading less, referencing less and writing with less clarity and boldness. Students rely on the Internet rather than on referred course readings for research material. The popularity of Google is facilitating laziness, poor scholarship and compliant thinking. The Internet seems to be chipping away at students' capacity for concentration and contemplation. Use of the Internet and digitalization places the focus on application rather than on contemplation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Full development of the human personality is the primary objective of education, as laid down in international human rights conventions. The four pillars of education - learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be - propounded by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century in its 1996 report Learning: the Treasure Within, continue to be important. Higher education is a public good and a public service, and massive open online courses should not be used to weaken public provision of education or promote the privatization and commercialization of public education.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Sports and healthy lifestyles as contributing factors to the right to health 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- States should take steps to disseminate information to populations on sport and healthy lifestyles. Such dissemination takes two primary forms: physical education, and awareness-raising through the media and other channels. States should raise awareness of the importance of physical activity (outside of formal education mechanisms) and should encourage individuals to participate through public health campaigns. Again, what is appropriate will vary based on the jurisdiction, but encouraging examples are provided by certain States, such as mass exercise on World Day for Physical Activity to promote participation in sport.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Technology in education provides important benefits but it can also impair the right to education. While a digital device-based education can bring advantages in the form of access to a computer or electronic device, when students or schools lack the financial means to obtain access, they fall behind. When only some schools are provided with technology, or when private schools can afford better technology, existing social divisions in education outcomes will increase.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to inclusive education 2016, para. 61a
- Paragraph text
- [A comprehensive and co-ordinated legislative and policy framework for inclusive education must be introduced, together with a clear and adequate time frame for implementation and sanctions for violations. It must address issues of flexibility, diversity and equality in all educational institutions for all learners, and identify responsibilities at all levels of government. Key elements will include:] Compliance with international human rights standards.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Debt bondage as a key form of contemporary slavery 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- People in debt bondage tend to have experienced a low level of access to education, which frequently results in illiteracy and innumeracy. This leads to a lack of alternative employment options and makes them vulnerable to exploitation from their employers. Illiteracy and innumeracy allow employers or recruiters to manipulate loans, interest rates and wages. Poor remuneration in previous employment is considered to be a major cause of debt bondage, as workers are forced to take loans or advances to cover basic subsistence needs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Education
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The right to inclusive education 2016, para. 61i
- Paragraph text
- [A comprehensive and co-ordinated legislative and policy framework for inclusive education must be introduced, together with a clear and adequate time frame for implementation and sanctions for violations. It must address issues of flexibility, diversity and equality in all educational institutions for all learners, and identify responsibilities at all levels of government. Key elements will include:] All legislation that potentially impacts upon inclusive education within a country should clearly state inclusion as a concrete goal.
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- At the turn of the millennium, the UNESCO World Education Report 2000 was devoted to the topic "The right to education: towards education for all throughout life". It argued that "education" could not be taken to mean only "schooling" and that "the time to learn is now the whole lifetime", thus expanding the concept of lifelong learning. Education is a "continuum, coextensive with life", and in today's globalizing world, it can no longer be defined by a reference to a particular period of life. "Lifelong education" and "lifelong learning" have come to represent in different ways the expectations that societies currently have of education and of the scope that should be provided for every individual to develop his or her potential.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Issues and challenges to the right to education in the digital age 2016, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The application of technology to education must always be conducted in conformity with the right to education. It is important to ensure that the principles and norms of the right to education are preserved when using information and communications technologies. Universal access is an essential prerequisite for the full exercise of the right to education. Under a number of international conventions establishing the right to education, States have international obligations to provide primary education at no cost. They also have the obligation to make secondary education, including technical and vocational education, generally accessible; higher education should be made accessible, on the basis of merit or capacity. Education at all levels must be made, progressively, accessible to all.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- States have recognized the importance of nutrition education, making it mandatory within school curricula or providing education programmes targeting cities, workplaces and food providers. Some have initiated campaigns for healthier diets, provide nutrition advice for at-risk individuals or publish food-based dietary guidelines recommending a balanced diet. Dietary guidelines should guide not only consumer choices but also policy choices. Such initiatives should be culturally sensitive and based on scientific evidence. Brazil's revised dietary guidelines of 2014 are a good example, as they are comprehensive, take cultural dimensions into account and promote the consumption of minimally processed foods while encouraging sustainable food systems.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Food & Nutrition
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- In its resolution 70/137 on the rights of the child , the General Assembly underlined that full access to quality education was an essential precondition for achieving sustainable development and for the full realization of the right to education. In that regard, Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Inclusiveness, quality and non-discrimination are fundamental principles that need to be systematically associated with education. When these principles are not given due consideration, education may increase social, ethnic and gender inequalities, further exacerbating divisions in society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Lifelong learning and the right to education 2016, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur underlines the importance of keeping lifelong learning as a continuous policy objective, without limiting it to a specific time frame. Lifelong learning in 2030 will become ever more important. However, time -bound targets for lifelong learning are necessary as benchmarks for measuring the progress towards realization of the Education 2030 agenda, which includes "equitable and increased access to quality technical and vocational education and training".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph