SLOVENIA FOCUSES ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND CHILDREN

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000223 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL COE BK KV SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA FOCUSES ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND CHILDREN DURING COE CHAIRMANSHIP Summary: "Our Rights" Program -------------- ¶1. (U) After the successful launch of the "Our Rights" program in 2005 under Slovenia's Chairmanship of the OSCE, it is continuing the program on human rights education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Ossetia, during its chairmanship of the Council of Europe. In a July 16 meeting with Emboffs, Blanka Jamnisek, the MFA's coordinator for the program under both the OSCE and the COE chairmanships, highlighted the empowerment of children, both to educate them on their rights as well as to ensure them access to justice, as one of the key priorities of Slovenia's COE chairmanship. Due to the popularity and continued demand for training, Slovenia is organizing three teacher training events, in Kosovo on August 19, in Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 27 and 28, and in North Ossetia on September 26. These seminars will train teachers how to use the program materials to teach children about their rights. Jamnisek expects that approximately 50,000 children will receive human rights education. Slovenia also plans to hold an international conference on children's rights and protection against violence at the National Assembly in Ljubljana on October 6 to 7. End Summary. Human Rights and the Council of Europe -------------- ¶2. (U) As Chair of the Council of Europe until November 2009, Slovenia has decided to support those countries that have shown an interest in continuing the "Our Rights" education project. Jamnisek told us that, due to time and resource constraints, Slovenia decided to use the human rights education project "Our Rights," which was originally implemented as a pilot project during Slovenia's OSCE chairmanship in 2005. Designed by Slovene education experts and printed in Slovenia, the project materials are ready for distribution; the MFA plans to provide materials for about 50,000 children in the age group of 10 to 12 years in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Ossetia in their native language. The program in Kosovo will train 1,000 teachers who will eventually reach 32,000 students. Booklet materials will be in the Albanian, Bosniak, and Serbian languages. Jamnisek noted, however, that the program would not extend to Mitrovica. COE experts will lead the training exercises in Kosovo. Booklet materials in the same three languages will be sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina where a NGO will train 2,000 teachers from all three Bosnian entities. In North Ossetia, Russian language materials will be provided for approximately 16,000 students. Jamnisek explained that the MFA would have needed more donors to expand the project in North Ossetia but there was not enough time. All three projects will target both majority and minority groups. ¶3. (U) Slovenia will host the international conference on children's rights and protection against violence to increase awareness and to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of Children. Jamnisek noted that President Turk will give the opening remarks. She also envisages wide participation by children - as speakers and participants at the conference and as observers via DVC. "Our Rights" OSCE 2005 Pilot Project -------------- ¶4. (U) In 2005, Slovenia distributed teaching cards for pupils between 10-12 years, an album for pupils to collect the cards, and teacher information to schools in Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Macedonia, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. The material was initially printed in 14 different languages and has since been expanded to 17 languages. Each card represented one of the thirteen human rights with the right written out and represented by a picture. The pictures were carefully illustrated to avoid all stereotypes, including police as being a protecting authority, and to include all races and genders equally. Teachers received outlines for presenting each card, and the students "collected" their rights one by one throughout the course. Approximately 10,810 children and 276 teachers participated in the pilot project. The OSCE's evaluation noted that the project "contributed significantly" to improving awareness among the students and teaching capacity among the teachers. FREDEN