This year marks 60 years since the adoption by UNESCO’s General Conference of the Convention against Discrimination in Education: the first and only legally binding international treaty exclusively dedicated to the right to education.
For this occasion, UNESCO is celebrating the 60th anniversary of this Convention through the campaign ‘Say no to discrimination in education’, which will begin on 10 December, Human Rights Day, and culminate on 14 December, the adoption date. This anniversary also coincides with the 10th Consultation of Member States on the implementation of the Convention.
Six decades have passed since the adoption of the Convention. While the world has made progress, many countries are not on track to achieve international commitments to education and the COVID 19 pandemic has exacerbated disparities especially among vulnerable students, who are usually more at risk of being discriminated against. Indeed, as the pandemic forced countries across the globe to rely heavily on distance learning solutions, connectivity and access to education materials posed a particular challenge for the most marginalized.
The Convention reaffirms that education is a fundamental human right and highlights States’ obligations to ensure free and compulsory education, bans any form of discrimination and promotes equality of educational opportunity.
The anniversary is an opportunity to accentuate the importance of ratifying the Convention against Discrimination in Education to show that each and every country adheres and respects the rights set forth by this major normative instrument. To support states in translating their legal obligations and political commitments to the right to education, UNESCO will be publishing Guidelines for strengthening the right to education in national frameworks and a series of reports unfolding states obligations in various dimensions.
Join the celebration and Say no to discrimination! We count on you to promote this campaign by mobilizing your networks and sharing content from our social media pack through your different channels, which will soon be available on the campaign page. This page will be updated with fresh content in the coming days.
For any additional information or support, please contact: righttoeducation@unesco.org.
Everyone has the #RightToEducation!