OSCE workshop in Ohrid promotes rights of the child

SKOPJE, 19 September 2005 - Twenty-three teachers of different ethnic backgrounds took part in an OSCE workshop on children's human rights education in Ohrid over the last two days. The participating teachers will use their newly-obtained knowledge to educate nearly 600 pupils from 13 primary schools from all over the country.

"The OSCE Chairman-in-Office launched this pilot course because children as well as parents need to improve their knowledge of their rights and duties," said Blanka Jamnisek, Counsellor to the Slovenian Foreign Minister.

"I am glad to see that the teachers are enthusiastically looking forward to using the training materials that have been translated into the Macedonian, Albanian, Roma, Turk and Serbian languages. The OSCE Mission support has been essential in this process", she added.

The course is part of a project for school children in the 55 OSCE participating States, launched this year by the OSCE's Slovenian Chairmanship.

It aims to assist governments in implementing OSCE commitments in the field of human rights education using a booklet called "Our Rights" as a teaching tool. The booklet is designed for 10- to 12-year-old children and is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The project will run through until the end of this year.