The Abidjan Principles on the human rights obligations of States to provide public education and to regulate private involvement in education provide crucial guidance to governments, education providers, human rights practitioners, scholars and other stakeholders, and aim at informing education policies. Since 2015, various education stakeholders have been working together to support the development of the Abidjan Principles through an open, transparent, and widely consultative process. Between 2016 and 2018, a series of regional, national, and thematic consultations, as well as a global online consultation, have been convened around the world, bringing together a range of stakeholders.
Professor Aoife Nolan, Head of HRLC’s Economic and Social Rights’ Unit and member of the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights, provided advice on the content and process of development of the Abidjan Principles and was a member of the Drafting Committee, made up of nine internationally recognized experts on human rights law.
She said: ‘In these times of austerity and budget cuts, increasing privatisation of education is a tempting option for governments, but they need to understand they have obligations to meet. It is essential to have a clear human rights framework that guarantees the protection of human dignity at all times.’
The Abidjan Principles are made up of 97 Guiding Principles. In addition to these, 10 overarching Principles provide an overview and summary of the Guiding Principles and should be read in conjunction with the Guiding Principles, as they were adopted as a whole with the full Abidjan Principles.
Watch a short message by Professor Nolan on the journey that led to this important new document.
Posted on Thursday 21st March 2019