The Conference was organised in the framework of the Regional Project “Promoting Human Rights Education and Democratic Citizenship (EDC/HRE) in Eastern Partnership countries.
Mr Matthew Johnson, Director of Democratic Citizenship and Participation addressed the participants of the Conference at the opening session and said: ‘ Your project is allowing to implement the EDC/HRE principles in the Eastern Partnership countries. You are the drivers of the change process, contributing to reforms of your national education systems, promoting democratic principles in the classroom, changing school governance and putting the student in the centre of the reform process. Your countries share the same past and are on the move towards more and better democracy. However, and that is what this project made clear is that ‘one size does not fit all’. You have different challenges, you face different problems, you are looking for your own national solutions to these problems. And in this diversity lies Europe’s richness’.
The Conference, which was organized in the middle of the project implementation, brought together 60 educational professionals and decision makers from the Eastern Partnership Countries to take a closer look on the progress that has been achieved, reflect on the lessons learnt and agree on the spheres that should be addressed in the following period, on order to achieve the maximum benefit from the opportunities, provided by the project.
The Conference allowed dissemination of information on the current priorities in EDC/HRE and the latest outcomes of the Council of Europe activities in this field. Additionally, it was used as a platform of experience exchange and co-operation between education stakeholders from the Eastern Partnership countries.
The participants had an opportunity to discuss current challenges facing education systems, learn about processes that take place in other countries, see how EDC/HRE can be helpful and efficient in solving problems that we all experience.
Additional resources:
- PCF presentation 'Promoting Human Rights Education and Democratic Citizenship'
- Report on EDC/HRE in Six Eastern Partnership Countries
- Presentation on how to build a democratic culture in education
- Presentation - Ukraine
- Presentation - Republic of Moldova
- Presentation - Armenia
- Presentation EDC/HRE - Case of Georgia