

15

Human Rights Education Programof the National Human Rights
Commission of Mongolia
Altangerel ChoijooT

he 1993 World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria recognized the obstacles facing all States in fulfilling their obligations to promote
and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The World Conference considered human rights education, training and public information essential
for the promotion and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms forall. In this regard, the international community emphasized the vital importanceof human rights education and the development and implementation of a numberof international policy documents and plans of action.
of human rights information, and education inhuman rights.”1
This article examines the policy, current
initiatives and some basic achievements under
the human rights education program of the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia(NHRCM). It also introduces the NHRCM’s
strategy and actions in this field.

The promotion and protection of humanrights depend on a common understanding andawareness of human rights and fundamental
freedoms by everyone with a view to strengthening universal commitment to human dignity.
Human rights education is an important strategy to achieve several principal goals notably
empowerment, participation, transparency, accountability, the prevention of conflict, conflict
resolution, peacemaking and peace-building andthe more effective protection and realization of
all human rights for all.
The national human rights institutions havethe responsibility to support the movement forhuman rights education. The World Conference reaffirms the “important and constructiverole played by national institutions for thepromotion and protection of human rights,
in particular in their advisory capacity to thecompetent authorities, their role in remedying
human rights violations, in the dissemination

The National Human Rights Commission ofMongolia
National human rights institutions play afundamental role in promoting and protecting human rights. They should support theuniversal human rights standards, as contained
in international human rights instruments. The
United Nations promotes effective monitoringof human rights and freedoms based on theexistence of an active civil society, and an in-15

16  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

dependent, strong and well-resourced national
human rights institution in the country. The
World Conference encourages the establishment and strengthening of national institutions,having regard to the "principles relating to thestatus of national institutions" and recognizingthat it is the right of each State to choose theframework which is best suited to its particularneeds at the national level.
The State Great Hural (Parliament of Mongolia) enacted the National Human Rights
Commission of Mongolia Act on 7 December
2000. In the following month (January 2001),
the State Great Hural approved in plenary
session the appointment of three Commissioners headed by a Chief Commissioner. These
constituted the first step in the establishmentof a national institution in Mongolia with themandate to promote and protect human rights
and freedoms enshrined in the Constitutionof Mongolia, domestic laws, and international
treaties to which Mongolia is a party.
The National Human Rights Commissionof Mongolia (NHRCM) is an independent
organization established in accordance with the“Paris Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions.”2 Article 13 of the National
Human Rights Commission of Mongolia Act
provides that the Commission shall exercise thefollowing powers: 3•		To put forward proposals on any humanrights-related issues;•		To put forward recommendations and/or
proposals on whether laws or administrativedecisions are in conformity with the key human rights principles;•		To put forward proposals on the implementation of international human rights treaties
and/or drafting of Government reports
thereon.
NHRCM also has the power to undertakethe following activities:•		To conduct research on human rights issues
and provide necessary information;•		To collaborate with the international, re-gional and other national human rights
institutions;•		To produce reports on the human rights
situation in Mongolia;•		To increase public awareness about the laws
and/or international treaties relating to human rights;•		To promote human rights education activities;•		To encourage ratification of and/or accession
to the international human rights treaties.
The NHRCM is now on its seventh year,
following its establishment in February 2001.
It has three Commissioners and operates inaccordance with the principles of the “rule oflaw, independence, human rights protection,
freedoms and legitimate interests, justice andtransparency.”4 The second set of Commissioners (along with a Chief Commissioner) was
appointed in February 2007. The NHRCM
has seventeen full-time employees responsible
for policy analysis, complaints handling, humanrights education and promotion, and administrative support. There are also working teams
divided into the following:• Human rights education team• Complaint handling and monitoring team• Policy analysis team
• Multilateral cooperation team• Internal operation team.
The NHRCM has established dynamic
working relations with many international,
regional and national organizations and institutions in the human rights field. In 2001, theNHRCM became the ninth member of the Asia
Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF). In accordance with Article 24.3of the National Human Rights Commission
Act, “The Commission may establish ex-officioboards, which consist of the representatives ofadvocates’ association, confederation of tradeunions and/or human rights non-governmentalorganizations” to assist in the implementation ofactivities. At the moment, the ex-officio board
has expanded to include representatives of nearly

Human Rights Education in Schools – Mongolia  17

thirty non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
and actively carries out or participates in humanrights training and information activities.

General human rights education program
Since its establishment, the NHRCM has
been doing much effort in human rights education, training and information activities. In
accordance with Article 13.2.5 of the National
Human Rights Commission Act, “The Commission shall carry out human rights education
activities within its mandate.”
The first phase plan of action of the World
Programme for Human Rights Education
defines��������������������������������������
human�������������������������������������
rights education as education,
training and information aiming at building auniversal culture of human rights through thesharing of knowledge, imparting of skills andmoulding of attitudes directed to:(a) The strengthening of respect for humanrights and fundamental freedoms;(b) The full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity;(c) The promotion of understanding, tolerance,
gender equality and friendship among all
nations, indigenous peoples and racial,national, ethnic, religious and linguistic
groups;(d) The enabling of all persons to participate
effectively in a free and democratic society
governed by the rule of law;(e) The building and maintenance of peace;(f) The promotion of people-centred sustainable
development and social justice.5
The NHRCM has been upholding this������
definition of human rights education, as agreed
upon by the international community, �����������
in all its
educational and promotional activities.
To achieve its mandate and mission effectively, the NHRCM adopted a Strategic Plan for
2007-2011. It developed the Strategic Plan on
the basis of comments and suggestions by theleaders of governmental and non-governmentalorganizations in the field of human rights. Its
Goal 1 states, “Advance public human rights
awareness, culture and consciousness so thatpeople are aware of their rights and freedoms,
and prepared to stand up for them.”
The NHRCM has been implementing a
number of human rights education initiatives
at the national level. As a key function, its human rights education program targets a broad
set of groups:• Government organizations and authorities• Professional and non-governmental organizations•	Educational institutions at all levels• Mass media groups• Vulnerable groups such as women, disabled
and elder people• General public.
Since its establishment, the NHRCM has
undertaken the following activities:•		Specialized training programs for judges,
prosecutors, police officers, NGO advocatesand human rights activists, members of massmedia•		Trainings for the members of the government reporting committee to the UN treaty
bodies on the implementation of international treaties and conventions to which
Mongolia is a state party•		Summer School, a special human rights
promotion activity, for students and youth
leaders held at the International Children
Recreational Center•		Human Rights Open Days’ road shows organized in rural areas. This activity includes
human rights trainings, investigation, complaint handling, consultation and mediation
for the citizens, law enforcement agencies
and officials of local administrative organs
in the rural areas•		Nationwide competitions such as the essay
writing contest, photo contest on the occasion of the International Human Rights
Day among students at both school anduniversity levels

18  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS•		Human rights contests or academic eventson specific themes among journalists, researchers and human rights activists, etc.
•		Media education programs such as television
documentaries and radio dramas on specifichuman rights issues developed jointly with
the Mongolian National Television, Mongolian National Radio and other broadcasting
companies•		Development and dissemination of Human Rights (quarterly journal), the NHRCM
Newsletter, the Annual Human Rights Status
Report in Mongolia and a number of handbooks, brochures, etc.
•		Other promotional and dissemination activities to raise the human rights awareness andknowledge of the general public.
One of the important activities of NHRCM
is the Annual National Forum on Human
Rights on the occasion of International Human
Rights Day under the auspices of the Presidentof Mongolia. The recent Forums highlighted
the rights of people with disability (2006), andrights and the protection mechanism for thevictims of human rights violations (2007). The
Forum develops and delivers recommendations
to State Great Hural, the government and its
agencies, NGOs and private entities.

Human rights education program in formal
education
There is still a need to integrate the humanrights education program into formal and nonformal education systems in Mongolia. The
World Programme identifies the Ministry of
Education as primarily responsible for developing the national human rights education strategy
and implementing it through formal and nonformal educational institutions. In such context,
NHRCM conducted some activities to assist the
government efforts at the national level.
There are very few studies and feedback
that explored human rights education in uni-

versities and other higher education institutions. Human rights have been studied in law
schools since 1997 following a joint Decree#230/200 (1997) by the Minister of Justiceand the Minister of Enlightenment. However,very few law schools offered human rights as
a compulsory course while a majority of themoffered it as an optional course. In most law
schools, human rights subject was taught only
within the Constitutional Law courses andwith no link between human rights and otherspecific courses. Also, university administrations undermined the importance of teaching
human rights as a separate subject and tried tosqueeze human rights into other legal education courses.6 This situation was not adequate
to educate law students about and for humanrights. Obviously, there was an essential needto integrate human rights education into thecurriculum of universities and colleges.
In 2004, NHRCM implemented a projectcalled “Human Rights Education in the Law
Schools” which aimed to integrate humanrights courses in the law school programs at
higher education level. Within the frameworkof this project, NHRCM developed a Model
Human Rights Curriculum for law schools.
The goal of the Model Curriculum in termsof learning competencies for law students included development of knowledge on humanrights, ability to use human rights protection
and redress mechanisms, and attitude to respecthuman rights and freedoms. These learningcompetencies are essential to prepare lawyers intheir future role as judges, prosecutors, policy
officers and government officials. To make theModel Curriculum more realistic and effective,
it was piloted in three law schools, namely,
the Law School of the National University ofMongolia, Shihihutag Law School, and Bileg
Law School.
NHRCM holds training for university professors, teachers and educational supervisors.
It produced eight lessons on human rights forsecondary schools, originally meant as an eightpart television series and now used in training

Human Rights Education in Schools – Mongolia  19

teachers. The NHRCM plans to publish the
Mongolian translation of Taking the Human
Rights Temperature at Your School of the Human Rights Resource Center in the Universityof Minnesota (USA), and distribute them tothe schools.
On the whole, however, there are no othersystematic, long-term human rights education
initiatives or projects focused on the primaryand secondary school systems.

Educational policies supporting humanrights education
The Government adopted a National Human Rights Action Program (NHRAP) in 2003
(annex to the resolution Number 41 of 2003of the State Great Hural) which states that“[T]here is a need to reform the system, content
and methodology of education, and to teach theskills necessary to enjoy and protect one’s rights
by raising the level of general education andlegal knowledge of children.” (Paragraph 11,
Introduction: Program Justification and Goal)
The National Human Rights Action Program
also includes articles relating to the role of the
NHRCM and NGOs in the action program
implementation, and articles relating to specifichuman rights education.
The government has also adopted a Mongolia
Masterplan to Develop Education (2006–2015)7
that supports education about and for human rights. The Masterplan has provisions on
various issues relating to vulnerable groups,
enrolment, school retention, “herder” children,
dormitories, the school environment, gender,
disability, inequality, access to information andcommunication technology (ICT), health andhygiene. Chapter 4 of the Action Plan describes
the issues and targets relating to early childhood
education, primary and secondary education,
non-formal and adult education, technical andvocational education and training (TVET), andhigher education. Under this chapter, there areprovisions on primary and secondary educa-

tion, definition of the ‘Program’, the ‘Programcontent’ and ‘Outputs’ grouped under ‘Access’,‘Quality’ and ‘Management,’ strategies to improve access and equity include training teachers, the introduction of new learning methods
and appraisal systems, development of special
programs, and the development of educational
resources. Specific programs are recommended
to improve school enrolment and retention ofvulnerable groups, including students withdisabilities.
In sum, government policies provide a clear
mandate for rights-based education and education about and for human rights

Evaluation and challenges in human rights
education programs
The NHRCM evaluates its human rights
education program. Its annual report to theState Great Hural, as required by Article 20.1of the National Human Rights Commission
Act, includes a section on human rights education. In the Status Report of Human Rights andFreedoms in Mongolia, 2007, the NHRCM has
one chapter entitled “Current Status of Human
Rights Education in Mongolia.” This chapter
reviews the current situation, achievements andobstacles in the human rights education andpublic awareness in Mongolia.
One major activity in the formal education program was the project “Human Rights
Education in Primary and Secondary Schools.”
This project started in 2005 with the supportof UNESCO Mongolia Country Office in accordance with the first phase plan of action of
the World Programme. The objective of thisproject was to evaluate the situation of humanrights education in primary and secondary
school levels and develop recommendations to
the relevant stakeholders. The study carried out
in the Ulaanbaatar and six provinces, involved
more than one hundred seventy-five schools,
two thousand students and more than six hundred teachers and education authorities.

20  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLSThe evaluation of human rights educationin primary and secondary schools identified thefollowing strengths and weaknesses:8
1. Main strengths:• The education standards have been revised and innovated in connection withthe transformation from ten-year secondary education to eleven years startingfrom the 2005-2006 academic year
• Human rights subjects regularly taught
from 1st to 11th grade students• The human rights education standards
aim at developing learner’s competencies.
2. Existing main weaknesses:• The human rights subject is not a permanent subject in the school curriculum,
easily replaceable by other subjects• Most teachers and school managers
undermined the importance of humanrights education• There is a lack of teachers who are specialized in teaching human rights, and there
is no significant support to teachers interms of content and methodology• Teachers are dependent on conventional
methods of teaching• The school managers fail to maintainregular supervision over the education
standards and plans.
The school management should take into
consideration the principles of human rights
in assessing the teachers’ fulfilment of duties
and performance, equality of opportunity
among students, accountability and disciplinary mechanisms that ensure respect for humandignity and reputation. It should recognizethat a democratic school environment is themost favorable condition for the advancementof human rights education. The provision ofhuman rights education is not only contingent
on activities inside the classroom but also on
the environment outside the classroom. An
important objective of human rights education

is to create a human rights environment in thecommunities and the society as a whole. Therefore, everything in the school even classroom
rules and other regulations should be based onhuman rights principles.
The results of the study showed that humanrights education is still unsatisfactory at thenational level. Recommendations for future
action based on lessons learned throughout the
study were developed and disseminated to therelevant stakeholders, authorities and the public.
Within the framework of the work, NHRCM
developed a minimum qualification standard forteachers who are teaching human rights. The
teachers’ standard establishes criteria to assess
their performance on rights-based learning.
(See Annex A for the complete set of requirements for teachers of human rights.) Providing
bonuses to teachers based upon performance
results will improve the quality of the teachers’
instruction. Moreover, NHRCM staff members
shared their experiences on human rights withteacher trainers for the development of humanrights curriculums for teacher training. All these
activities are carried out by NHRCM with the
purpose of integrating human rights education
into the formal education system.
Based on a review of the relevant laws andplans, the NHRCM presented in 2007 recommendations to the State Great Hural on how
to improve the quality and effectiveness ofthe promotion of human rights education atformal and informal education systems at thenational level. The recommendations are thefollowing:9
1.	Develop, approve and implement the humanrights education sub-program as part of
the NHRAP implementation process, andbased on comprehensive baseline study on
the status of human rights education at thenational level. Develop the human rights
education sub-program with reference to international policy documents and programson the subject matter
2.	Develop training materials, methodology
and evaluation tools and provide method-

Human Rights Education in Schools – Mongolia  21

ological support to human rights education
programs at formal and informal educational
institutions
3. Incorporate mandatory human rights courses
at higher educational institutions providing
training for lawyers, public servants, military
officials, medical practitioners and trainers. Include indicators on knowledge andawareness on human rights at professional
accreditation exams such as for the medical
profession, teachers and other professionals
4. Provide inter-agency support through coordinated policies to the development of humanrights training manuals, textbooks and othereducational tools, training of trainers andtheir continued professional development
5. Support, encourage and cooperate withcivil society initiatives for the promotion of
public human right education.
Upon the recommendation of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Legal Standing,the Parliament of Mongolia adopted a resolution that obliged the government to implement
the NHRCM recommendations and proposals.
The NHRCM has taken the responsibility ofmonitoring their implementation.
One of the major challenges is the lack ofcollaboration and networking among relevant
stakeholders in the human rights education
field. This is partly due to the absence of government mechanism and action that would
facilitate such collaboration and networking. A
national mechanism that supports human rights
education and promotion as well as training oftrainers in all sectors, to be created through a
Sub-Programme on Human Rights Education
under the NHRAP, has yet to exist. An operational plan for the NHRAP (Resolution #17,
January 2007) that made the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences and the Ministryof Justice and Home Affairs responsible for the
implementation of the NHRAP with the broad
participation of the civil society and NHRCM,
took the government four years to adopt. In thiscontext, partnership and collaboration between
the relevant stakeholders remain a challenge.

Further direction of the human rights
education
The NHRCM has published a number ofplans and reports relating to human rights
education and promotion. A Strategic Plan
2007–2011 (NHRCM, 2006) includes bothgeneral and specific strategies to promote andprotect human rights. Goal 1, and specifically its
Objective 3 (Establish and strengthen a humanrights training framework at all levels of education) identifies a clear need for education about
and for human rights. The NHRCM was able toset targets and indicators that could be used to
improve human rights education generally.
In September 2007, an international consultant (Robert Baker, PhD, of CC International) was requested by the UNICEF Officeof Mongolia to advise the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Mongolian State
University of Education, and other stakeholders
about best practices in education about and forhuman rights. The objectives of the mission
included developing recommendations on how
rights-based education and education about
and for human rights should be developed in
Mongolia. In the mission report, the consultant
offered a number of recommendations.
Firstly, a clear and precise vision statement
for rights-based education and education about
and for human rights should be developed, approved and disseminated. This vision statement
should describe the essential elements of thedetailed cross-curriculum on education about
and for human rights and with input from key
stakeholders in Mongolia. Secondly, it needs tomeet national goals, priorities and obligations
relating to human rights; the Civics and Citizenship course within the Mongolian school curriculum should guarantee teaching and learning
about rights and responsibilities for at least one
quarter of the course at all levels.10 These recom-22  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS

mendations translate into the development of avision, the reform of curriculum, the creation ofage-appropriate educational resources, targeted
professional learning, and the development ofreal and virtual communities of duty-bearers
and rights-holders.
The consultant also learned from the
NHRCM that there was no common understanding in Mongolian schools on education
about and for human rights, that there wascritical shortage of textbooks relating to human rights, and that in a number of cases theschool environment contributed to child rights
violations. In this regard, NHRCM should befocusing all its education activities on the incorporation of education about and for humanrights throughout the key learning areas at allstages of the national education system.
The NHRCM considers the teaching andlearning about human rights within the formal
and non-formal education systems as the primary vehicle for promotion and protection ofhuman rights in the country.

Annex A
Requirements for the Qualificationof Teachers of Human Rights Classes11
The goals, content, and methods of teaching
human rights classes have specific characteristics
that set them apart from all other types of classes
in primary and secondary school education. For
example:• Human rights are founded on the respectfor dignity and worth of each person. They
are universal, inalienable, indivisible, andembody principles of equality and nondiscrimination. Therefore, it is essential toconduct human rights classes that conformto these standards and requirements.
• Human rights education aims at fostering
principles of mutual understanding, recognition and democracy among all pupils.
• Human rights education plays an importantrole in developing valuable skills among
pupils including the freedom of expression,
standing up for their groups and communities, making decisions, advancing cogent
arguments and evidence, listening to others, and respecting others’ opinions andcultures.
• Human rights education is a life-long processthat extends beyond the classroom context,
and is cultivated in a positive social environment that includes classmates, teachers,
school, family and friends.
Based on the above characteristics, humanrights educators should meet specific requirements for qualification. This requirement should
be used during the selection of appropriate human right educators, as well as in evaluating
their performance.
I. The Knowledge of Comprehensive Teaching Skills:
Requirement 1: The understanding andknowledge of human rights values and content,

Human Rights Education in Schools – Mongolia  23

and the methodology to impart them to pupils
through didactic teaching processes
This requirement reflects the following content:• Possessing a comprehensive knowledgeof the fundamentals of human rights, its
historic development, its internationaland national mechanisms, and relevantlaws and legislation aimed at the promotion and protection of human rights;• Possessing an ability to select and utilize
international and national human rights
instruments and resources for each lesson;• Possessing the knowledge and ability toselect and devise teaching methods forthe management of human rights classes
and the simplification of its content.
Requirement 2: Knowledge and skills toprovide leadership and coordination of humanrights classes
This requirement reflects the following content:• Possessing the ability to develop didactic
materials, such as real life examples andcase studies that are relevant to classcontent;• Possessing the ability to select and utilize
teaching methods and methodologythat encourage and promote just andparticipatory pupil activity, and foster ademocratic classroom environment.
Requirement 3: Comprehensive set ofsocio-cultural and communicative skills
This requirement reflects the following content:• Possessing humanitarian values and attitudes that respect the inherent humandignity and worth of each and every
person;• Possessing sincere aspirations and goals
for fostering a culture of human rights
and the promotion of human rights
knowledge among pupils;• Possessing comprehensive learning skills
that include understanding and respecting others, becoming a role model forothers, learning from, cooperating with,supporting and helping others.
II. Uphold the Principles of Human
Rights:Requirement 4: Upholding the Principle ofEquality and Non-Discrimination in Schools
This principle is based on respect for each
person’s inherent human dignity and worth, including the treatment of all persons with equality and non-discrimination without distinction
as to their social status.
This requirement reflects the following content:• The class content should conform to theabove principles. For example, the classcontent, teaching materials, examples,case studies and displays should in noway encourage any form of discrimination and inequality based on age, gender,
profession, or official post;• Promote opportunities and conditions
for non-discriminatory and equal participation of pupils;• In the course of conducting and evaluating the classes, teachers should adhere
to the principles of justice, sincerity andequality without distinction as to thepupil’s class rank, family status, property,
looks, or beliefs.
Requirement 5: Upholding the Principles
of Respect for Human Dignity
Each person should be treated with respect
without distinction as to age, culture, beliefs,
race, sexual orientation, language, disability, or
social status.
This requirement reflects the following content:• Foster knowledge among pupils thathuman rights are inherent rights that
constitute the basis for their existence;24  HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN ASIAN SCHOOLS• The class content, such as teaching materials, examples, case studies, picturesand displays should conform to thisprinciple;• In classes, teachers should treat eachpupils’ individual looks, characteristics
and attributes with respect;• In classes, teachers should strive towards
creating a favorable learning environment where each pupil can sense their
human dignity and worth, be proud of it,
and, consequently, respect other’s rights
and freedoms.
Requirement 6: Upholding the Principles
of Universal Human Rights
Human rights are a set of universal values
that are recognized in all countries and regionsof the world. Governments and their citizens
have an obligation to promote and protect
them. The principle of universal human rights
means that every country, group and citizen
around the world should possess a common
understanding of human rights and freedoms,
should posses and respect equal standards ofinternational human rights and norms.
This requirement reflects the following content:• Prior to conducting a class, teachers
should possess a common knowledge ofinternational human rights norms;• The evaluation of class and pupil performance should be directed towards
determining whether the pupils havea common understanding of humanrights.
Requirement 7: Upholding the Principles
of Indivisibility, Interdependence, and the Inherent Nature of Human Rights
Human rights exist in all spheres of life including the home, school, work, hospitals, andcourts. Similarly, human rights violations arealso interrelated to one another. The violationof one right often affect several other rights.
The promotion of any one right has a positiveeffect on other rights. All human rights such ascivil, political, social, economic, cultural andcollective rights are indivisible, which cannot
be forcefully taken away. Human rights are not‘gifts’ granted by the state, government or officials, but are inherent rights that are possessedby each person from birth.
This requirement reflects the following content:• Possessing the ability to make students
understand that only when all of ourhuman rights are exercised can we live
in dignity and respect (that it is incorrect
to form an opinion that any one right ismore important than another), to help
pupils recognize and prevent violationsof rights, and to assist pupils in acquiring
skills that restore infringed rights;• Possessing the ability to help students understand that when one right is violated,other rights are equally violated, and theviolation of one person’s right initiates
the violation of others’ rights;• Classes should be directed towards providing conditions and opportunities for
pupils to exercise their indivisible rights,
such as the expression of ideas and opinions, access to information, and the rightto non-discrimination.
Requirement 8 : Upholding the Principles
of Responsibility in Studies
In the field of human rights, the issue of responsibility involves all social stratums ranging
from state, individual, civil or social responsibilities. The state responsibility: human rights are notgranted at the state’s discretion. The state should
not violate the equal [recognition] of everyone’s
rights. In case of such violation, states shouldbe held accountable. Individual responsibility:each person has a right to respect and promote
human rights and take actions against organizations and people who violate them. Civil
society: all branches of society including nongovernmental organizations, foundations, andeducational institutions have a responsibility toHuman Rights Education in Schools – Mongolia  25

promote and protect human rights.
This requirement reflects the following content:• Class content should be directed towards
making students understand that one
person’s rights are restricted throughthe exercise of other people’s rights, andif the given restriction is breached, theguilty party should be held accountable.
At the same time, all parties including
the school management, teachers, workers and pupils should respect and takeresponsibility for the rights of all;
• In the course of the class, disciplinary
measures against pupils who do not fulfill
their study obligations should be just andconform to human rights standards andprinciples.

Endnotes
1
Article 36, Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human
Rights on 25 June 1993.
2
www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/A.RES.48.134.En?Opendocument

3
The National Human Rights Commission ofMongolia Act, Chapter 4, Article 13.
4
Ibid., Article 3.3.
5
The World Programme for Human Rights
Education, Plan of action for first phase (2005-2007)(A/59/525/Rev.1) Annex A.3 http://daccessdds.un.org/
doc/UNDOC/GEN/N05/253/74/PDF/N0525374.
pdf?OpenElement
6
Khishigsaikhan B., Director of NHRCM, Human
Rights Education in Formal Education, presented
at the APF 10th forum, August, 2005, Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia.
7
Government of Mongolia, 2006: Master
Plan to Develop Education of Mongolia, [English
version] Ministry of Education, Culture and Science,
Mongolia.
8
Report on Human Rights Education in Primaryand Secondary schools: NHRCM, 2005, page 64.
9
NHRCM, Status Report of Human Rights andFreedoms in Mongolia, 2007, Ulaanbaatar, pages 5859.
10
Robert Baker, Report to the UNICEF
Office for Mongolia, Rights-based Education and
Education about and for Human Rights in Mongolia,
CCInternational, October
11
This is taken from Human Rights Educationin Secondary Schools – Brief Report (Ulaanbaatar:
National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia and
UNICEF, 2005).