Ms. Hilde Frafjord Johnson
Norwegian Minister of International Development
Sundvolden, 23. May 2003

Opening speech

Amnesty International's Human Rights Education Forum

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am grateful for the opportunity to say a few words of welcome this morning at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Education Forum. I am also honoured to be addressing this extraordinary gathering of people. Some of you have travelled far, carrying with you vigorous commitment and a strong determination to make a difference.

More than 40 years of heart-felt dedication and persistent fortitude has made Amnesty International one of the world’s most important non-governmental organisations. To many people, Amnesty International has become synonymous with the protection and the promotion of human rights worldwide.

At the beginning of the twenty first century, we are equipped with an extensive human rights framework. Rights, which have been recognised by the whole world as being universal for all peoples regardless of race, sex, religion, country or any other factor.

All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent. The international community has endorsed this statement as a fundamental precept. It is on this basis that we must strive to match the elaboration of human rights standards by ensuring that all people in all countries fully achieve those standards. It is the duty of states, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The protection of universal Human Rights has an intrinsic value. To protect the dignity of man, to safeguard each individual’s human dignity is an end in itself. A human being is an end in itself - not a means for something else.

But I would like to mention here, with you, another aspect of rights - also close to my heart. We are becoming more and more aware of the instrumental value of human rights and democracy. The respect of human rights and democracy is a precondition for sustainable development. The right to speak up, the right to express oneself, is one of the prerequisites for development. Only when this right is respected, can policies be corrected, can people demand services and exercise their faculties to provide for themselves.

Nobel laureate dr Amartya Sen argues that economic growth is only one of many factors involved in reducing poverty and improving well being. In his view, development is the removal of "various types of unfreedoms that leave people little choice and little opportunity to exercise their reasoned agency."

Sen has documented how, for instance, freedom of expression can bring about social changes, such as getting more girls to attend school. Or, how improved respect for civil rights can spur increased private economic activity and thus economic growth.

"Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat." What does this mean? Very simple - people without the right to access food are vulnerable.

I mention this here, because I wish that we keep the double vision of human rights visible, as we need to alleviate the situation of the many who suffer shortages and material deprivation. This should be a double inspiration for us all - rights as intrinsic values - rights as instrumental values.

Human Rights and democracy has entered the development agenda in a decisive way - the buss-word is governance. Good governance, democracy and human rights must be promoted in order to combat poverty and make development sustainable. These are also preconditions to attract investments and to make development assistance constructive. It is a fact that development assistance is most efficient in countries with better governance.

We are becoming painfully aware that a prerequisite of development is peace, stability, order, justice and protection of individuals. We witness a growing number of post-conflict situations which must be stabilized in order for sustainable development to have a chance. Particularly in situations where there has been internal strife - security sector reform is an intrinsic part of the ensuing peace-building effort. Awareness of this aspect is growing - Human Rights and democratic control are most vital ingredients.

Human rights education has been proclaimed in various global legal instruments ever since 1945, when the Charter of the United Nations called for co-operation "in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms". This call was reaffirmed in 1993 during the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, and given an institutional framework with the proclamation in 1995 of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education.

The international community has made a commitment to take action to promote human rights through information and education, and to increase the knowledge of, and the involvement in human rights issues.

Martin Luther King Jr once said: "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends". To me these words illustrate our moral obligation to promote human rights and to empower those who do not enjoy the rights many of us hold to be self-evident.

Rights bring with them responsibilities. The right to enjoy our freedoms comes with the duty to demand for others the rights, which we claim for ourselves. We must bear in mind that conventions, resolutions and protocols are of little value if people are unaware of their rights and are unable to claim them. Groups and individuals must not only be given formal rights to equal participation, but also the necessary skills to make use of these rights.

It is often the most vulnerable who suffer the gravest violations to their human rights. And it is often the same vulnerable persons who are unaware of, and unable to claim their fundamental rights. They must be empowered, and this brings us to the core of human rights education – knowledge is power. Through education on human rights the individual is empowered to use and benefit from exercising their rights. I am convinced that through learning about human rights, people are empowered to take action and insist on fully participating in the decisions that determine their lives.

Furthermore, knowledge on human rights is decisive for the individual’s understanding of the rights of other individuals. An understanding of one’s own rights and of the rights of others, creates the grounds for a society where mutual respect replaces humiliation and where tolerance replaces discrimination. It is my belief that human rights education, training and public information promotes understanding, attitudes and actions to protect human rights, and to foster the development of free and just societies.

How can we reach the aim of a universal culture of human rights? During the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, Governments, non-governmental organisations, international organisations, all of civil society and individuals have been asked to take action to promote a universal culture of human rights through human rights education, training and public information. An effective approach must include means to educate teachers, students, media, the military, the police, the prison service, government administration, judges and lawyers.

A long-term and comprehensive approach is important. It is not sufficient that individuals become aware of their rights if governments do not keep their part of the pact. Governments have committed themselves to ensure that their citizens receive education in human rights and also that such programmes are effective in that people understand their rights and are able to exercise them. It is crucial that human rights education is directed at all levels of the state apparatus in order to make states aware of their responsibility to respect, protect and promote the human rights of their citizens.

The promotion and protection of human rights is one of the main objectives of my government’s political programme and value base.

On 21 May 1999, the Norwegian Parliament passed an act relating to efforts to strengthen the status of human rights in Norwegian law ( Human Rights Act). The Act incorporates the European Convention of Human Rights as well as the to Conventions on Human Rights into Norwegian Law.

In its recommendations to the Parliament the Standing Committee on Justice asked the Government to draw up a "general plan of action to provide information, instruction and education with a view to protecting and promoting human rights in Norway".

In my capacity as Minister responsible for human rights in 1999 I took part in the debate in Parliament, and promised on this occasion to give appropriate follow-up to this request, more precisely speaking by paying special attention to human rights education in a more general White Paper on human rights which the Government planned to submit to Parliament later on that year.

The White Paper - which was given the title Focus on Human Dignity -A plan of action for Human Rights, thus includes a specific plan of action on human rights education.

The specific plan of action on human rights provided both a survey of existing curricular provisions for human rights education and proposals for increased action in this field.

The White Paper also indicated the Government's intention and ambition to strengthen training in the field of human rights in public educational institutions in the years to come, within the framework of the plan of action, which runs for a period of 5 years' duration.

Among the specific measures which were announced in the White Paper, I can only mention a few:

• strengthen the training in the field of human rights in public educational institutions at all levels
• enhance the knowledge of human rights of employees in the central government administration, the defence forces and the legal profession
• ensure that instruction on human rights is included to a greater extent in education for various professional groups
• upgrade the Norwegian Institute for Human Rights at the University of Oslo to become a national institution for human rights according to the so-called "Paris principles", as a follow-up of a recommendation adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993.

Most of these measures have already, or soon will be implemented. I am for instance pleased to note that the Norwegian National Centre for Human Rights is now in operation at the University of Oslo. As part of its programme the centre is offering specific courses in human rights education to teacher trainers.

My Ministry is each year publishing an annual report on human rights in Norway, including reports from relevant ministries on their follow-up of the plan of action submitted in 1999.

The Norwegian Government’s Plan of Action on Human Rights states that "Peace, democracy and respect for human rights are fundamental conditions for sustainable development. Consequently, these components must be built into development co-operation both globally and with each partner country". To implement this policy, issues related to human rights are addressed in our policy dialogue with partner countries. Emphasis is placed on the need to consolidate legal frameworks by means of reform of domestic legislation and adherence to international human rights treaties.

My government has recently developed a Strategy for Delivering Education for All by 2015. I am convinced that education is a precondition for development and the most important weapon against poverty. With this strategy, we have committed ourselves to ensure primary schooling to all, and to eliminate gender discrimination in education. Furthermore, education is viewed as a means to advance the respect for human rights, promote tolerance and strengthen the abilities of individuals to participate in society.

Human rights education is a component in several development programs. For instance, the Government and the Center for Human Rights co-operate with the Ministry of Justice and the Faculty of Law in Ethiopia, to train judges and prosecuters in the field of human rights.

Political commitment from governments is fundamental if human rights education is to be effective, but the role non-governmental organisations can not be emphasised enough. Amnesty International and many other NGOs have been very active in the field, and we consider you to be important partners in this work.

Most of these NGOs meet regularly in an advisory Committee for Human Rights set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as in a sub-committee or working group on human rights education.

I am pleased to note that this working group has quite recently proposed to organise a conference on human rights education, and I understand that the working group is not completely satisfied with the current situation in the Norwegian education system when it comes to human rights education. I can assure you that the Government will listen with interest to the proceedings of the conference.

(Provided, of course, that I am invited, I am certainly prepared to attend the conference, and as a minister I will listen carefully to the working group's critical observations as well as to its recommendations.)

To close, let me once again highlight the pivotal role of Amnesty International. The efforts you have made in human rights education deserve our recognition. The scope and the scale of your work are impressive. Your programs are implemented all over the world, reaching teachers, journalists, police, women’s organisations, and youth groups – to mention a few. And your innovative methods have proven to be effective. Learning through active participation and experience leads to profound understanding of one’s own rights – and the rights of others.
Our focus must always be the rights of the individual. All men are created equal - we must never forget. My dignity is based on respecting the dignity of the other. When we lose this perspective - we loose not only our conscience - we lose our self-respect.

I wish you luck and perseverance in your important endeavour. Thank you.