Osaka Assembly and Symposium on Human Rights Education

Commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Osaka Liaison Conference for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Osaka Conference) held the Osaka Assembly and Symposium on December 10 and 11 to discuss the achievements and future challenges of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education.

At the Assembly, Mr Kenzo Tomonaga, the Secretary-General of the Osaka Liaison Conference, delivered a keynote address stressing that a Second Decade for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education is imperative to realize a world without war or violations of human rights.

Subsequently, four sectoral meetings were organized under the following topics: Human Rights Education through Community Organizing, Human Rights Education as Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights Education by Local Governments, and Human Rights Education in Schools. In each group, a Japanese speaker and a foreign expert invitee spoke on the achievements and challenges of human rights education in their respective fields.

Participants of the assembly adopted the Osaka Appeal for Building a Global Human Rights Culture and Creating a Peaceful 21st Century, which was later sent to relevant national and international institutions by the Osaka Liaison Conference.

On the next day, at the Osaka Symposium entitled "What is desired for Human Rights Education in the 21st Century?", diverse aspects of and different approaches to human rights education were presented by the foreign expert invitees and two Japanese human rights education scholars.

Mr. Jefferson Plantilla, Senior Researcher of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center, said, "It is necessary to encourage as many people as possible in civil society, local institutions, national governments and international institutions to realize a proposal to have a Second Decade for Human Rights Education."

Ms. Mariko Akuzawa, Associate Professor of the Himeji Institute of Technology, spoke on current state and challenges of human rights education in Japan. She highlighted the role of civil society in monitoring human rights education carried out by public authorities.

Dr. Michael Reiterer, Deputy Head/Minister of the Delegation of the European Commission in Japan, introduced the European Commission's efforts for the development of a European framework for the promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Dr. Hans Hesselmann, Head of the Human Rights Office in Nuremberg City, Germany, reiterated the importance of media and education.

Mr. Minoru Mori, an Associate Professor from Osaka Kyoiku University, proposed to transform moral education into human rights education in the Japanese formal education curricula.

Ms. Jane Austria, a Community Organizer from Philippines, reflected upon her experiences and said, "To be engaged is to participate in decision making that affects one's life."

Mr. Kenzo Tomonaga, the Coordinator, concluded the Symposium by appealing the importance of everyone's support for a Second Decade for Human Rights Education to make the 21st century a century of human rights.

*The Buraku Liberation and Human Rights Research Institute cooperates with the Osaka Liaison Conference for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by taking charge of its secretariat.

(Source: Kaiho Shimbun (Liberation News) Osaka No. 1532, December 22)