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The Abidjan Principles on the right to education: A practical tool to address global challenges to the provision of quality education for all to ensure future peaceful societies and life on earth

Mon, March 23, 5:15 to 6:45pm EDT (5:15 to 6:45pm EDT), Hyatt Regency Miami, Floor: 4th, Flamingo

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session (English)

Proposal

On 13 February 2019, a group of eminent human rights experts from around the world adopted the Abidjan Principles on the human rights obligations of States to provide public education and to regulate private involvement in education in Ivory Coast. This landmark text is a major step for the right to education worldwide, and was celebrated as such by the Minister of Education of Ivory Coast during the adoption ceremony. The Principles unpack and compile the existing obligations of States under international human rights law and provide a new reference point to address the role of the State and private actors in education. The Abidjan Principles were adopted following four years of work by various education stakeholders, including some community consultations.

The role of the State and private actors in education is one of the major current issues of education in the world. The last two decades have seen a significant increase in the scale and scope of non-state actors in education. Several UN reports, resolutions and recommendations, as well as observations and a Resolution from the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights have raised major concerns about the impact of this rapid growth of private schools in terms of educational content, quality, segregation and economic and social inequalities. If not monitored and regulated adequately, this movement could constitute a major challenge for the realisation of the right to education and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and undermine important progress achieved in previous years. Ensuring that all efforts are made to guarantee that the right to free quality public education for all is key for the future of peaceful society and life on Earth.

A number of critical questions in this context are raised: What mechanisms must the State have in place to ensure that the right to education is respected, protected and fulfilled? Under which circumstances is the involvement of the private sector in education acceptable? Under which circumstances can it undermine human rights?

The Abidjan Principles are a tool to begin to address these questions. They are intended to be operational in, and adaptable to, different contexts and aim to provide a basis for policy work and serve as a concrete tool that States and other stakeholders can use. They have been developed to respond to the global challenge the international community is facing to ensure a good quality education for all, which is essential for peace by contributing to build fair and inclusive societies. Their implementation will be successful if they actively contribute to changes in policies, practices, behavior, or perception that enhances the realisation of the right to education. This will require a combination of activities such as increasing public awareness among different types of stakeholders, building capacity and providing technical assistance to support States, promoting or undertaking empirical and quantitative research that can provide concrete solutions and recommendations and inform policy-makers to improve education worldwide, seeking formal accountability mechanisms and litigation, promoting social accountability initiatives and building collaboration with other actors and movements.

Since their adoption, the Abidjan Principles have been quickly gaining recognition and momentum, emerging as a game-changing tool for States striving to comply with their human rights obligations, and for those who wish to hold States accountable. They were discussed by States at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education presented her report which provides an analysis of the Abidjan Principles. The UN Human Rights Council and the African Human and Peoples’ Rights Commission have recognised the Abidjan Principles as a tool to guide States on implementing the right to education. The Global Partnership for Education also recognised the Abidjan Principles in its Education private sector engagement strategy. At the national level, civil society organisations are increasingly using the Abidjan Principles for research and advocacy purposes. They have also been referred to in legal submissions in South Africa, and by the High Court of Uganda.

After a presentation of the unique drafting and adoption process of the Abidjan Principles, highlighting its quick recognition, the panel will discuss their implementation by various actors including academic, civil society organisations and State representatives. The Nepalese Coalition for Education will explain how they have worked with the local governments to review the education policies as the State is decentralising its education system. People for Education from Canada will share examples of data gathering using indicators that question the public education system and show critical inequalities issues. ActionAid will present the research done in several African countries using the Abidjan Principles as framework providing an analysis of their added value to research and advocacy.

The panel seeks to inform the CIES community about the recent developments of Abidjan Principles, with regard to their implementation and get feedback from the audiences, specifically regarding their use for academic research. Implementation is an on-going process as different stakeholders take up and use the Abidjan Principles in different contexts. Audience suggestions about potential locations for such endeavors could prove critical to the long-term sustainability of the project and help CIES continue to bridge the research – policy – practice gaps that so often occur in multi-faceted projects such as this one.

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