Human Rights Council. Agenda

Transcription

1 C S I A M U N X CHAIR REPORT Human Rights Council Agenda (1) Devising measures to tackle worldwide debt labor (2) Protecting education rights for youth in Sub-African regions from diplomatic disputes

2 Committee: Human Rights Council Agenda: Protecting education rights for youth in Sub-African regions from diplomatic disputes Chair: Jimin LEE, Yunji KIM 1. Introduction All people, no matter how old they are or how financially developed their societies are, possess the right to education. Protecting this universal right to education of all, or of younger children in specific, is considered highly important, basically due to the significance it holds as one of the most fundamental rights. Figure 1. South African students are studying in a Accordingly, a variety of international child friendly school, programed by UNICEF organizations have constantly been devising measures (Child friendly schools. Digital Image. UNICEF. UNICEF South Africa. Web. 25 June 2017) to protect the right to education of youth worldwide. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) that was released in 1948 directly stated in its 26 th article that everyone has the right to education, stressing its legitimate need in the global society. In addition, the UN had declared the achievement of universal primary education as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which is now one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goals. However, the current status of education provided in the region is severe enough to be noticed in the international society. According to UNESCO, the estimated size of the underage population deprived of education in sub-saharan Africa is to be around 30~35 million. This means less than 40% of boys and 35% of girls are receiving or have received primary education in nations such as Eritrea, Burundi, and Rwanda. This is an issue with urgency since lack of education often leads to the deterioration of social problems in the long term. The ongoing problem of poverty is one of them, which is an inextricably linked consequence of low quality and limited education. Studies made by the UC Davis Center for Poverty Research proved the evident relevance between these two factors and its effects in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Results showed that nations with relatively low level of education are more likely to have lower GDP. Proper education is the most effective way to eradicate this vicious cycle. Hence, it is necessary for the Human Rights Council to strive in devising measures to protect education rights. As this issue prevailed in sub-saharan Africa is not only the problem related to the lives of each individual but also the problem in the sake of the whole country, delegates are expected to improvise practical solutions regarding the current societal situations.

3 2. Definition of Key Terms Right to Education The right to education is protected as one of the most fundamental human rights, mainly because of the significant role ample education plays in protecting freedom for all individuals. Since the education right issues are often prevalent in relatively underdeveloped countries suffering from extreme poverty, the United Nations and UNESCO proposed certain normative instructions the international society should abide by. As mentioned in the introduction, Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states the fundamental instructions that UN encourages the international societies to comply with. It includes statements of the accessibility and pricing of certain types of education such as elementary and professional education. Sub-African Region The term Sub-African region, or Sub-Saharan Africa, geographically indicates the group of countries that are located in the southern half of the African continent. As the UN defined the Sub-African regions as containing all of the African countries located south of the Saharan desert, some examples of countries included in this region would be Angola, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. The Sub-African nations are currently suffering from extreme poverty, as they are one of the less-developed countries facing similar hardships. Since research proved that the depth and length of education are highly relevant to the financial backgrounds of individuals, the status quo of the countries is a crucial point to consider. Primary Education Primary education, or elementary education, is defined as the first stage of compulsory education in each country. Although all nations have different laws on the stages and degrees, years 1 through 7 are conventionally considered primary education. 3. Background Information Right to education has been declared as one of the most fundamental human rights by a variety of international organizations. For instance, according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, enjoying the right to receive quality education and to complete a certain course of mandatory, primary education must be shared by all children, regardless of their financial status, sex, nationality, ethnicity, and other social conditions. Nevertheless, according to a research conducted by the European Finance Association (EFA) in 2012, over 4,200,000 Sub-Saharan African children under the age of 12 are excluded from receiving primary education of all kinds. Furthermore, the State of Education in Africa Report 2015, conducted by The Africa-America Institute, stated that less than 10 countries in the region achieved the targeted ratio of enrolling over 80% of their students in the nations pre-primary to

4 primary education system. What is more, even the minority being provided with the least level of education is not receiving the ideal quantity. Experts are suggesting various presumptions on the cause of such education rights issues. The primary cause for the violation of these rights is the lack of school funding caused by the overall poverty of the countries. According to UNESCO s Financing Education in sub-saharan Africa Meeting the Challenges of Expansion, Equity and Quality, African countries designate less than 5% of their total GDP to the improvement of public education. Such lack of funds impedes the development of governmental support and the proliferation of pre-primary and primary level over education throughout the entire region. 4. Major countries and Organizations involved United Nations Convention on the Rights (UNCRC) The United Nations Convention on the Rights has started since November 1989, which deals with the rights of children under the age of eighteen. UNCRC has been trying their best for equal education of all children around the world by providing free educational opportunities for those without access. Furthermore, by strengthening and creating laws, they ensure all youth to learn to protect oneself from either physical or mental violence. Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) is an organization that aims for the provision of proper education and safe learning environment. Thus, INEE has been providing educational centers and basic services for children in the sub-saharan regions. Soldiers are dispatched to schools to provide and guarantee a safe learning environment, due to their vulnerability to attacks of terrorism. Niger Niger is one of the Sub-Saharan countries with severe lack of education: over 40% of the boys in Niger do not attend primary school and the majority of the Nigerian girls do not receive any education. The main reason is poverty children are put into situations where they have no other choice but to work in brutal environments to make money for their families. Hence, in the last few years, the Nigerian government launched the Universal Basic Education Act to provide better education in terms of both quality and quantity, with the help of the UNICEF. The Universal Basic Education Act aims for the compulsory providing of free, basic education for the youth in the Federal Republic of Nigeria South Sudan Although South Sudan gained independence in 2011, it is still suffering from a variety of social struggles such as the ethnic conflicts or the border disputes. Among them all, one of the biggest problems is the violation of children s rights, including their right to education. Children in South Sudan have been experiencing a hard time receiving the education due to limited resources: lack of appropriate schools and knowledgeable educators. In 2006, the government tried to enhance

5 the situation by launching a program named Go to School, but it turned out to be insignificant in eradicating all their problems. 5. Timeline of Key Events 1946 Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the League of Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Declaration of the Rights of the Child is adopted by the United Nations Civil Rights Act of 1964 is enacted World Declaration on Education for All (EFA) is adopted Universal Basic Education Act is executed in Nigeria. 6. Relevant UN Treaties, Resolutions, and Events A/64/L.58 The right to education in emergency situations S/RES/1894 Protection of civilians in armed conflict A/HRC/32/L.33 The right to education Universal Declaration of Human Rights Declaration of the Rights of the Child 7. Previous Attempts to Solve the Issue Although the results were not always successful, there were continuous attempts to protect underage education rights from international disputes in Sub-African regions. Several organizations have declared the absolute importance of the rights to education those of underage children in specific to guarantee the opportunity of proper education. Their firm stances have been expressed by various documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, and the World Declaration on Education for All (EFA). Governments had been processing nationwide programs in order to solve their domestic education crisis. For instance, the South Sudanese government has launched a program named Go to School, in 2012, with the goal of solving the prevalent education right issues. However, the results are quite unsatisfying. Currently, only 36 percent of the elementary school students of South Sudan are girls, and out of the total of 2,922 schools in Southern Sudan, only about 15% are available with permanent buildings. 8. Possible Solutions

6 In order to solve the education crisis of the Sub-African regions, committees of the UN and other related organizations, such as United Nations Children s Fund, can devise measures to increase and deepen the conversation in the international society. The presumable result of increasing the quantity and the quality of conferences relevant to this issue would be expediting the process of drawing solutions. Thus, encouraging the international organizations to continue and develop their endeavors in promoting the realization and worldwide discussions in the children s right to education issues can be an effective solution. Also, the proposal of declarations by human rights organizations would help the general public to realize the importance of protecting the universal right to education. Global effects of various declarations that have been made so far helped awaken the public to acknowledge the need for an immediate solution. Hence, by this method, the severity and urgency of the issue in Sub-African regions can be highlighted once more. Resolving the prevalent problem of anti-patriotism could be another solution. Sub-Saharan Africa is suffering from anti-patriotism of its people; some are rated as one of the 10 least patriotic countries in the world, according to the Forbs. This social atmosphere is not at all helpful in solving the education crisis, as the lack of governmental funds can be resolved by the private sector. However, the affluent people are currently hesitant in contributing to the economic aspects of their country. Thus, promoting patriotism and targeting the personal financial aids could be a realistic approach in dealing with this matter.

7 Bibliography Brown, Daniel. "Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Problems Abound." WCIA Voices, 1 Feb. 2013, wciavoices.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/education-in-sub-saharan-africa-problems-abound/. Accessed 6 Sept "The Effects of Poverty on Education." Child Fund International, Accessed 6 Sept Pardys, Sara. "World's Most and Least Patriotic Countries." Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 2 July 2008, Accessed 31 Aug The Africa-America Institute. "The Africa-America Institute." State of Education in Africa Report 2015, The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The World Factbook Directorate of Intelligence, 1 January UN. "United Nations Documents." Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 Dec UNESCO. "UNESDOC Database." Regional Overview: Sub-Saharan Africa, 3 Nov UNESCO. "UNESCO." Financing Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Meeting the Challenges of Expansion, Equity and Quality, "Child Friendly Schools." UNICEF, 12 Aug. 2012, Accessed 31 Aug "Child Friendly Schools." UNICEF, 25 May 2012, Accessed 28 July UNICEF. "UNICEF Documents." Child Friendly Schools Manual, UNICEF. "UNICEF Documents." Declaration of the Rights of the Child, UNICEF. "UNICEF Documents." Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959.