Notre rapport annuel 2023 comprend des informations sur notre impact et nos domaines d'activité tout au long de l'année, ainsi que des détails sur notre stratégie, notre équipe et nos donateurs.
Notre travail ne serait pas possible sans le soutien généreux de nos donateurs, à qui nous sommes immensément reconnaissants.
Our 2023 Annual Report includes information about our impact and areas of activity across the year, in addition to details on our strategy, our team and our supporters.
Our work would not be possible without the generous support of our donors, to whom we are immensely grateful.
The present report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed, examines the right to academic freedom from a right to education perspective. It proposes considering academic freedom an autonomous human right grounded in several provisions of international law.
Academic freedom is the freedom to access, disseminate and produce information; to think freely; and develop, express, apply and engage with a diversity of knowledge within or related to one’s expertise or field of study, regardless of whether it takes place inside the academic community (“intramural expression”) or outside the academic community, including with the public (“extramural expression”). It is a human right the exercise of which carries special duties to seek truth and impart information according to ethical and professional standards, and to respond to contemporary problems and needs of all members of society.
In the sphere of education, the Special Rapporteur supports an approach of academic freedom which all researchers, educators and students are entitled to, at all levels of education, taking into consideration the developing capacities and maturity of students. Academic freedom includes four interdependent pillars: the right to teach, to engage in discussions and debates with persons and groups inside (including in classrooms) and outside the academic community, to conduct research, and to disseminate opinions and research results. Such approach requires understanding the vitality of free expression in teaching, to review the concept of “neutrality” in education, and to reconsider processes for accrediting school manuals and imposing or prohibiting specific subjects from curricula, having in mind the aims of education under international human rights law. Educators can only foster critical thinking and provide diverse perspectives if they, themselves, enjoy academic freedom, while upholding the principles of pluralism, respect for others, and the pursuit of knowledge.
The Special Rapporteur draws the attention of the Human Rights Council and all stakeholders to the set of Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom, drafted by a working group of United Nations experts, scholars, and civil society actors, based on and reflecting the status of international law and practice. Endorsement and implementation of these Principles would allow a better state of academic freedom worldwide.
Is French Higher Education truly accessible to all, without any discrimination? What are the impacts of the privatization of Higher Education on the right to equal access to Higher Education and quality education for all?
Focusing on the impacts of inequalities based on place of residence, indirect study costs and privatization on the implementation of the right to Higher Education in France, this document illustrates the challenges related to the realization of the right to higher education. Overcoming these hurdles for a country like France could, a priori, be held up as an example to others. Lastly, this report highlights France’s legally binding obligations and potential infringements, especially with regard to its role in financing the Higher Education system.
L’Enseignement Supérieur français est-il vraiment accessible à toutes et tous, sans discrimination ? Quels sont les impacts de la privatisation croissante de l’Enseignement Supérieur sur le droit à l'accès à l’enseignement supérieur et à un enseignement de qualité pour toutes et tous ?
Le présent document se focalisant sur l’impact des inégalités en fonction du lieu de résidence des étudiant·e·s, des coûts indirects des études et de la privatisation dans la réalisation du droit à l’Enseignement Supérieur en France, il illustre les défis liés à la réalisation du droit à l’Enseignement Supérieur, y compris pour un pays comme la France, qui pourrait, a priori, être considéré comme un exemple. Un éclairage est fait sur les obligations juridiques de la France et ses éventuels manquements, notamment au regard du financement de l’Enseignement Supérieur.
En octubre de 2024, la Relatora Especial sobre el derecho a la educación, presentó su informe sobre la IA en la educación, haciendo hincapié en un enfoque basado en los derechos humanos para su regulación. Mostró el potencial de la IA para avanzar en el acceso a la educación, en particular para las personas con discapacidad y las comunidades remotas, al tiempo que advirtió de sus riesgos, como socavar la conexión humana, aumentar las brechas digitales y excluir a los grupos minoritarios. El informe reclama marcos jurídicos y políticos, la participación de todas las partes interesadas y la formación de educadores y estudiantes para garantizar un uso responsable de la IA. Subraya que la IA no debe sustituir a los profesores y advierte contra la comercialización de la educación, instando a los Estados a integrar la IA de forma responsable en los sistemas educativos. Subraya la necesidad de colaboración internacional, de directrices éticas y de abordar los sesgos algorítmicos para alinear la IA con el objetivo de una educación equitativa y de calidad para todos.
A Geneva Dialogue on the Right to Education was held on 18 and 19 June 2024 and organized by the Swiss Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO, the University of Geneva, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the REGARD network.
The rich sessions provided an opportunity to examine the trends, challenges, and opportunities related to equitable access to quality education. Discussions focused on the impact of privatization, digitalization, and crises on the right to education, as well as the effectiveness of human rights mechanisms in addressing these 21st-century challenges.
The results of these discussions are published in this synthesis report, highlighting the lessons learned and recommendations for strengthening the right to education.
In October 2024, the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, presented her report on AI in education, emphasiaing a human rights-based approach to its regulation. She showed AI's potential to advance access to education, particularly for individuals with disabilities and remote communities, while cautioning against its risks, such as undermining human connection, increasing digital divides, and excluding minority groups. The report calls for legal and political frameworks, inclusive stakeholder participation, and training for educators and students to ensure the responsible use of AI. She stressed that AI must not replace teachers and warned against the commercialisation of education, urging states to integrate AI responsibly into educational systems. She emphasises the need for international collaboration, ethical guidelines, and addressing algorithmic biases to align AI with the goal of equitable, quality education for all.
En octobre 2024, la rapporteuse spéciale sur le droit à l'éducation a présenté son rapport sur l'IA dans l'éducation, en mettant l'accent sur une approche de sa réglementation fondée sur les droits de l'homme. Elle a montré le potentiel de l'IA pour faire progresser l'accès à l'éducation, en particulier pour les personnes handicapées et les communautés isolées, tout en mettant en garde contre ses risques, tels que l'affaiblissement de la connexion humaine, l'augmentation de la fracture numérique et l'exclusion des groupes minoritaires. Le rapport appelle à la mise en place de cadres juridiques et politiques, à la participation de toutes les parties prenantes et à la formation des éducateurs et des étudiants afin de garantir une utilisation responsable de l'IA. Elle souligne que l'IA ne doit pas remplacer les enseignants et met en garde contre la commercialisation de l'éducation, exhortant les États à intégrer l'IA de manière responsable dans les systèmes éducatifs. Elle insiste sur la nécessité d'une collaboration internationale, de lignes directrices éthiques et de la prise en compte des biais algorithmiques pour aligner l'IA sur l'objectif d'une éducation équitable et de qualité pour tous.
The report examines Senegal’s mixed record in addressing the problem in the year since a fire ripped through a Quranic boarding school in Dakar housed in a makeshift shack, killing eight boys. After the fire, President Macky Sall pledged to take immediate action to close schools where boys live in unsafe conditions or are exploited by teachers, who force them to beg and inflict severe punishment when the boys fail to return a set quota of money. While important legislation has advanced, authorities have taken little concrete action to end this abuse. The report informs about the regulation of Quranic school and makes recommendations.