UCCHRE Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Report
Report: Human Rights Education Needs Greater Attention in U.S. Higher Education
In October 2019 the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education (UCCHRE) submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council in preparation for the Third Cycle Review of the U.S. and highlighted the need for greater human rights education across higher education institutions in the United States. This report built on the Mid-Term Review Report prepared by Human Rights Educators USA (HRE USA) and UCCHRE in 2017 .
“All higher education programs can do more to advance human rights and we hope this report will facilitate greater collaboration and discussion to that end,” stated Kristina Eberbach, Director of Education at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights.
The report reviews 136 higher education institutions in the United States for human rights and rights-related topics within the curriculum of schools of education, military academies and schools of social work. The document recognizes promising practices, particularly in schools of social work, but calls for the U.S. government to encourage and support HRE in those institutions operated by the government or receiving federal funding.
Information for this report was gathered through a coordinated research effort involving faculty, staff, and students at Columbia University (Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Teachers College) and the University of Connecticut (Thomas J. Dodd Research Center) on behalf of HRE USA and UCCHRE.
This recent report builds on the first-ever Stakeholder Report on the status of human rights education that was submitted as part of the UPR review in 2015. This first report, carried out by HRE USA in cooperation with the US Human Right Network, overviewed the status of HRE in U.S. schools, drawing on a survey administered to members and incorporating other information from secondary source such as policy reports and legislation. HRE USA emphasized the importance of the U.S. government in supporting HRE within state-level curriculum standards, teacher training and whole school attempts to reduce violence.