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European Ministers back education for democracy to counter extremism, racism 12 September 2016 Education ministers and officials from 50 countries attended the Council of Europe Standing Conference of Ministers of Education, in Brussels from 11-12 April, 2016, to discuss the theme “"Securing democracy through education: The development of a Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture".Speaking at the event, which focuses on the democratic mission of education to face the challenges of violent extremism, migration and racism, Mr Qian Tang, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, commended the Council of Europe for “giving such high attention to the fundamental role of education in building and maintaining democracy and peace.”Mr Tang presented UNESCO’s pioneering work on Global Citizenship Education and on Preventing Violent Extremism through Education, including the new UNESCO Teachers’ Guide on the Prevention of Violent Extremism and a forthcoming Guide for Policymakers to be launched in September this year in Paris.In his welcoming remark, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe said: “If we want to promote democratic ideals we need to promote values, teach children to live with others equally.”Minister of Education for the Flemish Community of Belgium Ms Hilde Crevits said: “In the long term education will be more important than any anti-terrorist law. Education plays a pivotal role in safety and security in Europe and beyond.”The European Commissioner for Education, culture and sports Mr Tibor Navracsics added “While education is not the only solution, there is no other solution without education.”New education tool to teach democratic valuesThe event also launched a new tool for teaching democracy and democratic values. The Reference Framework of Competences required to participate in Democratic Culture, developed by the Council of Europe with input from over a thousand teachers and experts across the continent, was launched at the event. “UNESCO is supporting countries to deliver education programmes that build young people’s resilience to violent extremist messaging and foster a positive sense of identity and belonging” said Mr Tang. He also expressed the hope that the event would help strengthen collaboration between UNESCO and the Council of Europe in providing effective citizenship education to prevent extremism and combat radicalization and a look at the relationship between European and global challenges.In a Final Declaration, the Ministers of Education invite the Council of Europe to reinforce cooperation with strategic partners in order to further support education reforms in member States, including the United Nations system and its agencies, notably UNESCO, for its work on global citizenship education and the prevention of violent extremism. 
UNESCO highlights links between peace and Education 2030 Agenda at Amsterdam meet 12 September 2016 he role of education in peacebuilding is the theme of the UNESCO keynote speech at a research findings seminar in Amsterdam on April 20-22.Mr Jordan Naidoo, Director, Division of Education 2030 Support and Coordination, UNESCO will address the Research Consortium on Education and Peacebuilding on April 22 on the links and interdependence between Sustainable Development Goal 4 and peacebuilding.UNESCO’s constitution enshrines its mission to “build peace in the minds of men and women.” The issue of peace and education is dealt with in the new education agenda in target 4.7 of SDG4 which calls for the “promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence and global citizenship.” The Framework for Action, the implementation guide for the SDG4-2030 Agenda, contains 17 references to peace.During times of conflict SDG4 specifies that efforts must be made to:Ensure that education institutions are protected as zones of peace, free from violence, including school-related gender-based violence;Schools and educational institutions – and the routes to and from them – must be free from attack, forced recruitment, kidnapping and sexual violence; andActions must be taken to end impunity for persons and armed groups that attack education institutions.Building global citizensUNESCO encourages Global Citizenship Education to enable learners of all ages and backgrounds to develop into informed, critically literate, socially-connected, and ethical and engaged global citizens.The consortium is a partnership between the University of Amsterdam, the University of Sussex, Ulster University and UNICEF and aims to contribute to UNICEF’s Learning for Peace programme. 
UNESCO releases Holocaust education recommendations in six languages 12 September 2016 The purpose of the recommendations, the work of UNESCO and the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Studies, is to help education policy-makers ensure that educational media meet standards of historical accuracy and are enabled to place the Holocaust in perspectives which bear resonance in given local environments.They also provide advice on conceptual and narrative standards that will help learners acquire historical knowledge and deeper understanding of the nature, the complexity, and the impact of crimes perpetrated by the Nazi regime, in particular the genocide against the Jewish people.These recommendations will thus provide guidance on how educational media can help raise awareness among leaners of how to prevent similar events from occurring.The recommendations draw on an extensive research performed by the Georg Eckert Institute and UNESCO to map Holocaust education worldwide, and compare representations of the Holocaust through the analysis of 272 valid curricula in 135 countries and 89 textbooks in use in 26 countries.The research, titled The International Status of Education about the Holocaust, A Global Mapping of Textbooks and Curricula, was published in 2015. The recommendations are preceded with a summary of the research. 
L'UNESCO lance une nouvelle formation pour aider les éducateurs à lutter contre l'extrémisme violent 12 September 2016 UNESCO and the Asia Pacific Centre of Education for Intercultural Understanding (APCEIU) are developing a new partnership to boost training for educators worldwide on the prevention of violent extremism.As part of APCIEU’s Global Citizenship Education international and regional trainings new modules will be introduced by UNESCO to sensitize educators to the issue of violent extremism and to the educational measures that can build learners’ resilience to extremist narratives.In addition, the APCEIU and UNESCO have agreed to introduce sessions dealing with the history of genocides, in particular the Holocaust, as a means to raise awareness of the dangers of mass violence in contemporary societies, and help young people become critical thinkers able to oppose group-targeted violence.Regional seminars to follow opening workshopThe first training seminar, titled Global Capacity-Building Workshop is taking place in Seoul, Korea, from 19 June to 2 July 2016. It gathers teacher-trainers and teachers from 26 countries including Mongolia, Cambodia, Uganda, Lebanon and Colombia and covers all aspects of Global Citizenship Education, from policy design to pedagogy and teaching practices, in workshops partly led by UNESCO.It will also include sessions conducted in partnership with the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), a European Union body supporting youth stakeholders confronted with violent extremism, and of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, one of the world’s leading institutions for Holocaust education and research and genocide prevention. The workshop will be followed throughout 2016 and 2017 by several similar training seminars with a more regional scope.UNESCO is engaged in a programme to contribute to the prevention of violent extremism through education, within its work on Global Citizenship Education. This includes the development of guidance for policy-makers and to support the work of teachers in the classroom and capacity-building for education stakeholders. 
UNESCO Director-General pays tribute to the memory of Elie Wiesel 12 September 2016 The UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, paid tribute to Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and author of a unique body of work on the memory of the Holocaust."Elie Wiesel was a pillar of the conscience of humanity, a moral compass for human rights, human dignity, human strength," said Irina Bokova. "Through his work, he put words on the unspeakable, to awaken all minds to the horror of the Holocaust. His legacy is unparalleled and his message is more relevant than ever to fight against antisemitism in all its forms. We all owe him an immense debt, and this is our duty to take forward.""Elie Wiesel was a great friend and champion of UNESCO, presiding the Universal Academy of Cultures, founded by Federico Mayor. His thinking informed the work of the Organisation across many years, as he embodied UNESCO's mission to 'build the defences of peace in the minds of women and men." 
UNESCO 1974 Recommendation used to measure progress towards education target 4.7 12 September 2016 The UNESCO Director-General has launched the Sixth Consultation on the implementation of the 1974 Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms for the period 2012-2015. Every four years, as part of its standard-setting and monitoring role, UNESCO invites Member States to report on progress made in implementing the 1974 Recommendation. The principles of the 1974 Recommendation are closely aligned to Target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal on education. Target 4.7 is concerned with sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity, as well as on culture’s contribution to sustainable development. Therefore, this four-year reporting process has been recognized by the 199th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board, as the main source of data to chart progress towards the achievement of Target 4.7. The deadline for submission of country reports to UNESCO is 30 September 2016. Member States are invited to compile their reports in consultation with relevant national stakeholders, NGOs working in these areas, and National Commissions for UNESCO. All relevant information and data should be included. Questions concerning the 6th Consultation process can be directed to UNESCO’s Section of Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship at: gced(a)unesco.org. Link: The Sixth Consultation on the implementation of the Recommendation concerning Education for International Understanding, Cooperation and Peace and Education relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1974) 
Teaching on the history of the Holocaust, other genocides and mass violence in the region: capacity building seminar and meeting of the Latin American Network 12 September 2016 Senior managers in charge of history teaching, curriculum revision and teacher training in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay will participate on 9 and 11 September in a meeting of the Latin American Network for Education on the Holocaust and other Genocides and in a capacity building seminar on these topics.Member States participating in the UNESCO Latin American Network for Education on the Holocaust and other Genocides will meet at the University of Southern California (USC) Shoah Foundation Headquarters on 9 September 2016 thanks to the work of the UNESCO Chair for Genocide Education at USC. The meeting will review actions taken in the region to foster education on the Holocaust, genocides and mass atrocities.The Network was founded in 2014 in Costa Rica with a view to enhance regional dialogue on Holocaust education, genocide prevention, and dealing with difficult pasts through education. The Network stimulates national activity and gives rise to regional programmes conducted under the guidance of UNESCO and in partnership with organizations providing expertise in the field, such as Yad Vashem (Israel) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.The meeting in Los Angeles will notably include the participation of representatives of Yahad-In-Unum (France) and of Yad Vashem (Israel). It will serve to discuss recent actions taken within the Network and present new educational, academic and cultural initiatives that could be expanded at regional level.The project is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France. Capacity buildingThe meeting of the Latin American network will be followed by a capacity-building workshop for specialists at Ministries of Education of 8 countries of Latin America. This workshop is organized by the Shoah Foundation of USC and will take place on 10 and 11 September, in the same place.The seminar “Teaching about the History of Genocide and Mass Violence” will cover history teaching, curriculum revision and teacher training, and will focus on teaching methods in the classroom, with emphasis on the use of survivors’ testimonies. It will also cover challenges pertaining to teaching about genocides in a comparative perspective, and include discussions on the relevance of Holocaust education in Latin American contexts.The seminar will be conducted by education specialists and academics of the USC Shoah Foundation and guest presenters from the Iberoamericana University (Mexico), the Jewish Museum of Chile and the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (United States of America). The programme will also include a visit to the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.“Teaching about the Holocaust is an excellent starting point to raising the awareness of young people of the dangers of propaganda, hate speech and demonization of the other”, said Karel Fracapane, UNESCO specialist in Education about the Holocaust based in Paris. He noted that “the Nazis are gone but extremist ideologies based on racism and antisemitism live on, and their potential is deadlier than ever”. Elspeth McOmish, specialist at the Regional Bureau of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) highlights that “UNESCO’s work in the field of Holocaust and genocide education resonates strongly in Latin America, and serves as a guidepost to deal with difficult pasts that may not yet have been the object of much attention in education.” She adds: “By analyzing and drawing lessons from history, young people develop an understanding of how they can combat prejudice and violence, as responsible and active global citizens.” 
APCEIU Supports Capacity Building for Educators of Africa and Asia-Pacific 5 September 2016 From 1 September to 31 October, APCEIU will organize the ‘2016 UNESCO/KOICA Joint Fellowship Programme: Capacity Development for Basic Education of Africa and Asia-Pacific’ for 25 educators from 17 different countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa. Celebrating its 10th year, the 2016 UNESCO/KOICA Joint Fellowship Programme will be co-sponsored by UNESCO and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). This year, the programe will be composed of 4 main modules: “Teacher Training for Basic Education,” “Leadership in Global Education (Global Citizenship Education),” “Use of ICT for Education (or e-Learning),” and “Girls’ Education”. Participants will explore related issues through the workshops, lectures, field-visit, and individual project development. First, participants will be given lectures and participate in workshops to enhance their knowledge and understanding of Basic Education on particular areas, such as Korean education policy and curriculum, policies on teacher education, lifelong education and vocational education. There will be field study visits to relevant sites including schools in Korea, the Regional Offices of Education, and the Korean Education Broadcasting System (EBS). In addition to lectures and workshops, there will be discussion seminars for the understanding of basic concepts and transformative pedagogies related to GCED. Workshop participants will also make a field visit to Dora observatory and the 3rd underground tunnel in Paju DMZ where they can experience and reflect on the issues of human rights and peace. On 3 October, participants will visit RCE Tongyeong (Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Tongyeong) to discuss sustainable development and also take part in photo classes at Dongpirang mural village, Tongyeong central traditional market, and Dara park. Furthermore, ICT education, which is a growing field in education, especially in developing countries, will be a part of the programme. Topics range from ‘how to utilize MS Office programs,’ to ‘how to make audio-visual education materials.’ Lastly, as a new module in this year’s programme, ‘girls’ education’ will be discussed under the theme of “Better Life for Girls.” Through lectures and study visits participants will explore the following topics: provision of education opportunity for girls, health education and vocational education for capacity building of girls especially in developing countries. Following, participants will create storybooks based on their own interviews of girls in the neighborhood. These storybooks are expected to be used as educational materials for girls’ education in their own countries. Through this programme, APCEIU hopes that participants can develop the capacity building for educators in their own countries. APCEIU also expects participants to produce learning materials on GCED and develop lesson plans and training modules which can then be used in their local educational settings. URL: APCEIU Supports Capacity Building for Educators of Africa and Asia-Pacific > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org) 
Harvard professor creates a course for the world 1 September 2016 The world is changing, says Harvard Professor Fernando Reimers, and schools everywhere must change with it. Preparing students to become global citizens should be a priority for all educators, but how exactly should these lessons be approached?“If we are serious about preparing students to understand globalization, we should treat this the way we treat any other subject about which we are serious,” says Reimers, director of >Harvard Graduate School of Education’s (HGSE), International Education Policy Program. “We should have high-quality curriculum. It should be rigorous curriculum and it should provide extended opportunities for students to engage with the subject.”With a group of HGSE doctoral students, Reimers began to consider what it would take to create such a curriculum, starting by identifying the competencies high school students should have in order to understand and, ultimately, better the world. The result is “Empowering Global Citizens: A World Course,” a book designed not only to support the educators who are already teaching with globalization in mind, but also to challenge those who are not.In this edition of the Harvard EdCast, Reimers speaks about the book and gives insight into a curriculum designed to empower all citizens of the world. 
China-Japan-Korea College Students Seek Better Future through Global Citizenship 23 August 2016 “If you, young people, do not stand together, if you do not work together, if you do not do better than your preceding generations, the world we live in will not get better.” From 7 to 11 August 2016, 60 students coming from China, Japan, and Korea gathered at APCEIU to participate in the ‘China-Japan-Korea Global Citizenship Education Youth Forum 2016’. During these five days, the students discussed the role youth play in enhancing trilateral cooperation for a peaceful co-existence and sustainable future in the region and beyond. During the congratulatory remarks, Dr. Marielza Oliveira, Director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, emphasized the positive effects that youth can bring to the world acknowledging their greater role and responsibility in solving many global issues while building a peaceful and sustainable future. In addition during his keynote speech, Prof. Chung-in Moon, Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) of Yonsei University, suggested global citizenship as a valid alternative for young people to move forward beyond the limitations of nationalism. He advised them, saying “Be aware of what is going on in the world. Have empathy. Take actions.” Students participated in various sessions including lectures, titled ‘Global Citizenship and the Role of Youth in Northeast Asia’, ‘Youth Leadership for Better Community’, ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Asian Youth’ and later also participating in workshops and dialogues. Especially in the CJK Youth Dialogue session, students had a chance to think deeply about what global citizenship means and discuss it with their peers. Through the Panel Talk session, students had an opportunity to interact with three young professionals from the three different countries that are actively working in diverse fields. The three speakers were Ms. Yifan Ling from China, who is a popular webtoon artist, Ms. Misaki Iwai, Community & Entrepreneurship Programme Manager at Impact Hub Tokyo (a social enterprise that empowers novice entrepreneurs), and Mr. Gilrok Daniel Do, Chief Operating Officer at Ecube Lab (a rising company in the global waste management market). These three speakers shared their personal stories on how they decided to pursue their current career paths and work, enlightening students on the diverse ways to pursue career paths and explore contributions for a better future for the world through profession. Students learned that they could act as a global citizen in any of their fields and also discovered ways to initiate various projects as youth leaders. A field-visit was arranged according to topics of their interest. The six sites selected were UN ESCAP (Sub-regional Office for East and NorthEast Asia), Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, National Human Rights Commission in Korea, Haja Centre, Root Impact, and Incheon Open Port. By hearing from presentations and interviews given by professionals at each site, students were able to clear questions in each field and deepen their understanding on major issues around each respective field. To cap off their experiences from the five days, students created and shared their action plans by group. Groups that visited UN ESCAP, Root Impact and National Human Rights Commission proposed an easily accessible online platform where youth of diverse nationalities could share ideas and build up discussions on topics such as sustainable environment, vocational training and education, and gender equality. The group that visited the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat also designed an online platform where youth from the three countries could freely share viewpoints about the economy, environment, and education as well as share culture and make friends. Participants who visited the Incheon Open Port planned a volunteer tour guiding program for foreign students studying outside their home country. The Haja Centre group designed a project called “Drop-outs Help-outs” that would help high school dropouts by providing a global pen pal service and helping them to find job opportunities. URL:China-Japan-Korea College Students Seek Better Future through Global Citizenship > APCEIU News - APCEIU (unescoapceiu.org)