A Human Rights-based approach in higher education

a comparative study of Europe and the Maghreb

Vega Gutiérrez, Ana María (ed.)

The International community has expressed, with a growing consensus, that education in human rights contributes positively to their implementation. Consistent with this objective, on the 10th of December 2004, the United Nations General Assembly announced the World Programme for Human Rights Education. Higher education represents one of the two priority areas within the second phase of this global programme. Through its basic functions (research, teaching and the provision of community services), higher education institutions carry out the social responsibility of providing ethical education to citizens committed to peace building and defending human rights and democratic values. In addition, they are also committed to generating global knowledge to face the current challenges of human rights, such as eradicating poverty and discrimination, post-conflict reconstruction, sustainable development and multi-cultural understanding. However, most university institutions pay little attention to this issue and in very few cases are these objectives included in the concept of quality education