Student Conference on Human Rights

	Watch a Webcast (Video archive) of the conference on 5 December ,2003.
	When Friday, December 5, 2003 Where United Nations Headquarters, New York For Whom Intermediate and Secondary Students (grades 5-12) Theme Education For All


	Civilizations have always been enriched, and not weakened, by the exchange of knowledge and arts, the freer and more peaceable the better. In the relations between nations, it is rather the lack, of education, and the dearth of knowledge which is a chief source of dispute and conflict. Never the opposite. -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, October 1998

Student Conference on Human Rights at the United Nations

In December 1998, the United Nations Department of Public Information invited 400 students from around the world to a conference at UN Headquarters in New York to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The conference was so successful that students lobbied to make the conference an annual event, scheduled each year to coincide closely with Human Rights Day on December 10th. The UN Department of Public Information agreed to host the conference. The Carol Baur Foundation, Global Education Motivators, Interconnections 21, LePage Educational Consultants, UNA-Dominican Republic, and UNA-USA have been co-sponsors of this event.

Today, the Student Conference on Human Rights seeks to promote awareness of, learning about, and action on human rights among student leaders, encouraging focus on specific rights and related themes from year to year. The conference provides opportunities for student leaders to network and develop important leadership skills, such as public speaking, team- and consensus- building, negotiation, research, and drafting. It also gives participants firsthand experience using current information technologies.

Subsequent to the September 11, 2001 tragedy, the format of the conference changed. Instead of convening 400-500 participants in New York, 35-45 students will gather at the UN over two days to take the lead in drafting a document concerning one particular human rights theme. Students around the world contribute to these efforts on the second day, through video-conference hook-ups and a webcast of the proceedings at UN Headquarters in New York. The theme this year is "Education for All.” Students will draft a Plan of Action they will present to the President of the UN's General Assembly (GA) at the end of the conference. In past years, the President of the GA has, in turn, presented the students' Plan of Action to the General Assembly.

Program for December 4 and 5, 2003

On Thursday, December 4th, thirty-five students representing the various co-sponsors will convene at the UN to prepare for the conference. Students will review the scheduling and content for the conference and elect those students who will chair and moderate the session at the UN on December 5th.

On Friday, December 5th, the conference will start at the UN at 10:00 AM. In addition to the live webcast of the conference, Cyberschoolbus will offer the opportunity for students to send messages to the student leaders while the conference is going on. Students from nine sites around the world will be participating via videoconference.

During the morning session, students will discuss the goals underlying EFA and collect suggestions from students participating at the UN, through videoconferencing, and the Internet. On the day of the conference, Cyberschoolbus will post a submit-form so that students who are watching the webcast will be able to send comments, questions, and ideas directly to the participants in New York.

A Plan of Action will be drafted during the lunch break with support from a facilitator. The draft text will then be discussed in the afternoon before it is revised and finally presented to the President of the General Assembly at the end of the Conference.