In her first report to the Human Rights Council, 25 years after the establishment of the mandate on the right to education, the Special Rapporteur reviews achievements, particularly on how the right to education is understood today and the obligations it entails, as well as contemporary and emerging issues that need to be considered to ensure the right to education for all, today and in the future.
A/HRC/53/27
The present report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 28/6 and 46/12. The report focuses on the right to education for persons with albinism and their experiences in different regions.
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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.
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.
This report was submitted to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for the 7th review of the UK. It is an update of a first report submitted in 2023. It covers:
The major concerns raised by the International Development Committee of the UK Parliament about the UK’s investments as part of Overseas Development Aid (ODA)
The UK’s non-response following findings from investigations by the International Finance Corporation (IFC)’s Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO)
The absence of UK’s responses to the CESCR’s questions related to UK international development cooperation in the area of education
Update on the UK’s investments in fee-charging private education
Key recommendations