Belarusian education policymakers trained in integrating human rights into education system

Approaches to integrating human rights issues into the education system in Belarus was the focus of a workshop for Belarusian experts in educational policy development and planning, which took place in Minsk from 22 to 24 August 2018.

The workshop was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the Belarusian Ministry of Education. It involved 15 participants, 11 women and 4 men. The workshop was based on the Curriculum Development and Review for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education toolkit, published jointly by ODIHR, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Organization of American States.

“This workshop is a stepping stone in our efforts to assist Belarus in integrating quality human rights education in the national education system in line with international standards and good practices,” said Marc van Gool, Human Rights Adviser at ODIHR. “Using their improved skills, ODIHR will work with the participants to review and develop educational planning documents and teaching curricula in the months to come.”

“The workshop was very practical. We now have a better understanding of how we can develop and improve programmes and methods for educating our citizens about human rights,” said Liudmila Kozhuhovskaya from the National Institute for Higher Education.

The workshop is part of the ODIHR project Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus, which is funded by the European Union. The project was launched in June 2018 to assist Belarus in meeting its OSCE commitments in the areas of the rule of law, human rights and the equal participation of women in democratic processes.