States urged to draw on NHRI expertise

States have been urged to draw on the knowledge and expertise of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to bolster the delivery and effectiveness of their human rights education efforts.

Speaking at the High-Level Panel Discussion on the fifth anniversary of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training, the Danish Institute for Human Rights presented a statement on behalf of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

In the statement, GANHRI noted that "NHRIs potentially have an eminent and far more sustainable impact on the integration of human rights education in the formal education sector than is currently the case in many States".

The statement highlighted three ways that States can benefit from cooperating more closely with NHRIs:

• Firstly, States are encouraged to invite NHRIs to support the advancement of the implementation of human rights education in the formal education sector
• Secondly, NHRIs have the potential of serving as independent advisers to Parliaments and responsible educational authorities on human rights education; formal, non-formal and informal
• Finally, NHRIs have the potential to play a key role in monitoring and data collection related to target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals that aims at mainstreaming human rights education across the education sector at the national level and thereby guide the global process as envisioned in target 4.7.

GANHRI's statement was one of a number made during a vibrant discussion with the High-Level Panel, held in Geneva on 14 September 2016.

Some of the topics addressed included: the role of human rights education in achieving the right to education; how human rights education can prevent discrimination and extremism; national implementation of human rights education; and future opportunities for human rights education.

More information is available at: www.humanrights.dk/news/statement-urges-un-make-use-national-human-rights-institutions.

Date: 21 September 2016