Request
of the Moscow School of Human Rights
about providing informational support

The year of 1998, the year of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is announced to be the "Year of Human Rights in the Russian Federation" by the decree of the Russian President.

The Moscow School of Human Rights has submitted its proposals to the Russian National Committee on the Human Rights Year's Celebration. However, due to the insufficient funding of the Human Rights Year's events, ignorance and misunderstanding of the problems of human rights education by the members of the National Committee, most of our proposals have not gained any support. In fact the Russian governmental structures left unnoticed all essential actions, callings and recommendations of international organizations in the sphere of information and human rights education. (For instance, there is no reaction to the Plan of Action for UN Decade for Human Rights education on behalf of the Russian Federation so far.)

At the same time, the Moscow School of Human Rights, as an NGO, sets its own priorities and guidelines for its activities. The structure and the logistics of our activities represent a long-term plan of actions, the strategy for our work and we intend to follow these guidelines independently. We structure our activity in accordance with international treaties and recommendations of the UN, UNESCO, CSCE/OSCE, Council of Europe in the sphere of human rights education, based on the needs of Russia in humanization of social relationships, in elimination of intolerance and xenophobia, in education of respect for human rights and democratic values.

We will seek financial support from various charity funds and earn our own funding to reach our goals.

In brief, our main suggestions and, consequently, requests are the following:

1. To develop and adopt the Federal Law (Decree, Concept) "The strategy of the Russian Federation in the sphere of information, enlightenment and education of human rights" (A version of "The basic principles of the state policy in the sphere of information, enlightenment and education of human rights").

To prepare and develop such a standard (Law, Decree of the President, Concept of the Government) we need to analyze and synthesize the other nations' experience of affirming the strategy in the sphere of human rights education legally in national statutes. It can include laws, decrees, mandates of various ministries, decisions of ombudsmen, concepts and plans of national commissions, etc. We will need an experts' evaluation on behalf of your organization at the stage of the prepared bill.

2. To create the Joint National Commission on information, enlightenment and education of human rights.
We need to analyze and summarize the other nations' experience in creation and functioning of national commissions, committees, councils of human rights education, implementation of the UN Plan "HREd 1995-2004." In this respect we are interested in statements (regulations, statutes) of these commissions, their composition, their plans of action, evaluations of their activities, addresses, telephone/fax numbers and other props.

3. To create the Federal Center of information and education of human rights.
We already have information of various long-existing Human Rights (Peace) Research and Training Institutions and we are in contact with many of them. We are interested in new Centers on information and education of human rights created in the course of implementation of the UN Plan "HREd. 1995-2004": their legal status, position in governmental and social structures, their charters (statements, regulations, statutes), plans and evaluations of activities, contact persons, addresses. Practically, we would like to get:

• a written justification of expediency of the creation of such a Center in Russia from your organization (a letter to Yeltsin, Putin, Luzhkov),
• consultations in the process of development of the Statement on the Center in the Russian Federation,
• packaged informational materials (literature, electronic versions of documents and materials, video materials, etc.),
• assistance in acquisition of books, guides, teaching materials, etc. on human rights education prepared by international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations (for example, numerous teaching materials of Amnesty International),
• an invitation for a librarian of the Federal Center of information and education of human rights (the Moscow School of Human Rights) for training, courses and seminars to your organization – if possible, at your expense, if not, we will look for money,
• assistance in training arrangements for the staff of the Federal Center of information and education of human rights (the Moscow School of Human Rights) in similar centers – if possible, at your expense, if not, we will look for money.

4. To conduct an evaluation of educational standards of general humanitarian, socio-economic and legal spheres of knowledge (disciplines) (federal and regional components), to revise curricula, programs, teaching and other materials to incorporate human rights problems and topics and to eliminate discriminative stereotypes and political prejudices. We are interested in experience and practice of other nations in this field, addresses and opportunities for cooperation with organizations which have been involved in this kind of work (for instance, the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research).

5. To prepare and publish a collection of recommendations of international organizations (UN, UNESCO, Council of Europe, OSCE) and Russian norms for education of human rights, democracy and peace.

We need all the materials on this topic. The ignorance of governmental structures in Russia of international recommendations, lack of knowledge of world experience is one of the barriers in the way of human rights education. For instance, there isn't any English or Russian copy of Plan of Action for UN Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004 in any Ministry of the the Russian Federation. It does not make any sense to speak about implementation of this plan in Russia. Almost nobody knows about such documents as:

• World Plan of Action on Education for Human Rights and Democracy (UNESCO, Montreal, 1993),
• Education for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy (Declaration and Framework of Action (UNESCO, 1995), etc.

The Moscow School of Human Rights has these and many other documents. We need your assistance in collecting English and Russian versions, – in paper or in computer forms, Russian translation – of those documents which have not been translated yet, and in publishing this collection. We are ready to publish it with you informational support (maybe you will also find some funding possibilities).

6. To translate, adapt and publish some foreign textbooks on human rights.
We possess a fairly large collection of foreign textbooks. However, we need a more thorough review, consultation with your organization about the advisable for Russian reality materials, identification of the recipient (schoolchildren, college students, teachers), cooperation with copy rights holders regarding translation and publication, etc.

7. To prepare and publish a Reference book of governmental services, non-governmental and international organizations defending human rights.
We hope to obtain from you up-to-date information about addresses of international organizations, telephone numbers of "hot lines", forms of applications, etc.

8. To equip the Federal Center of information and education of human right with didactic and technical means of teaching. See 1.5. for information on didactic provision. If your organization has an opportunity to help us equip the Federal Center of information and education of human rights (the Moscow School of Human Rights) with any equipment – we will appreciate your help.

9. To multiply and disseminate audio-visual materials of international organizations and NGOs on human rights among schoolchildren, students, teachers. We have few foreign materials rights now. It is necessary to collect them and consult with your organization about appropriate for Russian reality materials, to cooperate with copy right holders regarding translation and publication, etc.

10. To form and disseminate for educational and informational purposes computer data bases on international and Russian norms of human rights. The objective does not have an independent meaning if the positions of 1.5. and 2.9. will be solved, – informational equipment of the Federal Center of information and education of human rights (the Moscow School of Human Rights). If this is not the fact, we will need the help of the UN Center for Human Rights to obtain electronic versions of official texts (Russian and other languages) of international documents.

11. To adapt and disseminate educational software prepared by foreign NGOs. We have only few of those. We need your assistance to search and obtain those materials. Particularly, we need your support and cooperation with authors, search for the sources of funding for the translation of teacher's guide and the localization of a PC game "Human Quest I. Missing in Lokaya".

12. Seminars and conferences.
Here, we hope that the staff of your organization, experts and lecturers could participate in all our forth-coming seminars and conferences. Your organization will be informed about dates, topics, travel arrangements, etc. beforehand.

© Moscow School of Human Rights, 1997-2001. Latest update: May 26, 2010