To the 6th International Human Rights Education Conference,
I fully endorse this year’s International Human Rights Education Conference, which has as its theme ‘Translating Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms to Today’s World’.
The fact that Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms still resonate so strongly today is testament to the endurance needed for the defense of human rights. In light of today’s urgent human rights challenges, like the armed conflicts in the Middle East and the ensuing refugee crisis, we must never lose sight of the fact that human rights are a long-term project. That is why the Dutch section of Amnesty International invests strongly in human rights education, and that is why this Conference is such an important occasion to learn, discuss and share experiences.
At the Dutch section of Amnesty we notice a growing need in society for qualitatively good human rights education. Requests for our educational material on the human rights of refugees, for example, are flooding in. Perhaps more than ever since the International Human Rights Education Conferences started, it is crucial that (young) people learn about the meaning and workings of human rights, and are able to apply this knowledge and these skills in society. This Conference is instrumental in strengthening that capacity.
Furthermore, a very positive aspect of this Conference is the fact that it is attended by many different groups of people from many different countries: students, scholars, teachers and human rights experts. Together they search for cooperation, for example with national human rights institutes, and for the expansion of knowledge through a wide variety of working groups and networks. In other words: this Conference practices what it preaches, and I warmly recommend anyone with an interest in the advancement of basic freedoms and human rights to attend.
Eduard Nazarski
Director Amnesty International Netherlands