Address by Gwang-Chol Chang, Director, a.i, UNESCO Dakar On the occasion of Consultationl nationale sur la situation des prisons au Senegal: Amerioration des conditions de detention, de reinsertion sociale et prevention de l extremisme violent par l education Dakar, Senegal, 23 May 2017 Monsieur Le Ministre de la Justice, Mesdames et Messieurs les Partenaires Techniques et Financiers, Chers participantes, chers participants, Dear participants, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to consultation national e sur la situation des prisons au Senegal: Amerioration des conditions de detention, de reinsertion sociale et prevention de l extremisme violent par l education,» I would like to express my sincere thanks to you, Mr. Ly, Secretary General of the Senegalese national Commission for UNESCO for your opening address, which provided a number of perspective observations highly relevant to this consultation. I would also like to thank Honorable Didkiki Baaba, Ministre de la Justice for your commitment to this important consultation. 1
I am pleased to welcome the representatives and experts from the government, civil society, research community and the UN agencies. There are millions of people in prisons and other correctional institutions throughout the world. Most of them have no higher vocational or other advanced education, and even in countries with a universal right of access to 10 or more years of schooling, a large minority face difficulties in reading, writing and numeracy and in conducting social transactions. The right to basic education in prisons is a prerequisite for achieving the internationally agreed goal of ensuring a basic level of education for all. 1 To support this argument in 1990, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), recommended in its resolution (1990/20), that all prisoners should have access to education, including literacy programmes, basic education, vocational training, creative, religious and cultural activities, physical education and sports, social education, higher education and library facilities. Ensuring that each individual has an equal opportunity for educational progress remains a challenge worldwide even today. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Education emphasizes inclusion and equity as laying the foundations for quality education. The UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) and other international human rights treaties prohibit any exclusion from, or limitation 1 FYI this text was taken from UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg & UN Office at Vienna. (1995). Basic Education in Prisons. 2
to, educational opportunities on the basis of socially-ascribed or perceived differences. This means that we must include our society s most vulnerable and most marginalized members, such as prisoners. Reaching excluded and marginalized groups and providing them with quality education requires the development and implementation of inclusive policies and programmes. In this context, UNESCO promotes inclusive education systems that remove the barriers limiting the participation and achievement of all learners, respect diverse needs, abilities and characteristics and that eliminate all forms of discrimination in the learning environment. UNESCO works with governments and partners to address exclusion from, and inequality in, education. Education in prison requires collaboration with many different stakeholders. In 1991, UNESCO launched a project to investigate and promote basic education in prisons and in collaboration with the Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch of the United Nations Secretariat, we published a manual for decision makers, administrators, educators and non-governmental organizations to assist in planning and conducting education in the special environment of penal establishments. Today, beyond individual crimes, phenomenon of violent extremism has become one of the most challenging threats facing many countries around the world. While eradication of poverty, promotion of citizenship and sustainable development are the priorities on the African continent to achieve the SDGs, the emergence and proliferation of violent extremist groups have created 3
climates of fear and insecurity and are adversely affecting efforts to promote peace and human rights. The UN Action Plan to PVE points to the certain recurrent drivers, which may lead to radicalization and violent extremism, including such factors as: lack of socioeconomic opportunities, marginalization and discrimination, poor governance, violation of human rights and the rule of law, and prolonged and unsolved conflicts, and radicalization in prisons. Following the adoption of UNESCO s Executive Board Decision on UNESCO s Role in Promoting Education as a Tool to Prevent Violent Extremism (197 EX/46, 7 October 2015) 2, and the UN Secretary-General s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (A/70/674, 24 December 2015) 3, the importance of engaging in genuine prevention efforts has been prioritized, with a clear emphasis on the role of education as one of the most effective measures to create the conditions that make it difficult for violent extremist ideologies and acts to thrive. It is not enough to counter violent extremism --- we need to prevent it, and this calls for forms of soft power, to prevent a threat driven by distorted interpretations of culture, hatred, and ignorance. No one is born a violent extremist they are made and fueled. Disarming the process of radicalization must begin with human rights and the rule of law, with dialogue across all boundary lines, by empowering all young women and men, and by starting as early as possible, on the benches of schools. 2 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002348/234879e.pdf 3 http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a/70/674 4
UNESCO has also committed to the UN Secretary-General s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, with a focus on priorities of direct relevance to UNESCO s work: (i) education, skills development and employment facilitation; (ii) empowerment of youth; (iii) strategic communications, the Internet and social media; and (iv) gender equality and empowering women. In this context, UNESCO has made available to the countries of tools that will help rethink and reorient to develop new models of living together in peace and prosperity. It's about : ECOWAS Reference Manual on citizenship and peace education Culture violent extremism prevention through education guides that offer practical advice to teachers and policymakers facing the rise of extremism. Minister, Allow me once again to repeat the engagement of UNESCO to accompany Senegal in fulfilling our common mission, notably to build more just, peaceful and sustainable, in line with the Sustainable Development and with a culture of peace sufficient to prevent too many conflicts that ravage our society. I very much look forward to the outcomes and recommendations of this consultation. Thank you for your kind attention. 5