. Background
Within the framework of cooperation between the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions (the Network) and the United Nations Training and Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab Region (the Centre), and in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between them to promote human rights education and awareness, the Network and the Centre will organize a number of activities aimed at developing a guidance manual on "Best Practices and Experiences in the Arab Region in the Field of Human Rights Education in Primary, Preparatory, and Secondary Schools." This will be based on the experiences of national human rights institutions and ministries of education in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools, as well as on the practical principles and guidelines of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in this area.
The development of this manual comes as a follow-up to the recommendations arising from the Regional Dialogue Forum on "The Future of Human Rights Education and Awareness in the Arab Region: Towards a New Social Contract," held in Cairo on October 18–19, 2023, with the participation and contribution of all stakeholders in the field of education and human rights education in the region.
This initiative is also part of the global efforts supported by the OHCHR to implement the World Programme for Human Rights Education in all sectors, established by General Assembly resolution 59/113 (10 December 2004), under which the OHCHR is tasked with coordinating the program globally. The program aims to promote the implementation of human rights education programs across all sectors and is organized into consecutive phases. These phases focus on integrating human rights into education and training of target groups, with the first phase emphasizing the integration of human rights education into primary, preparatory, and secondary school systems. On December 10, 2004, the UN General Assembly announced the launch of the World Programme for Human Rights Education (ongoing since 2005), to further the implementation of such programs across all sectors.
The development of this manual also aligns with the strategic plan on human rights education devised by the Centre for the Arab region, in harmony with the World Programme for Human Rights Education. The Centre is responsible for human rights education in the Arab region and is mandated to "undertake training and documentation activities according to international human rights standards, and to support the efforts of governments, UN agencies and programs, national human rights institutions, and NGOs within the region."

II. General Objective
Human rights education fosters values, beliefs, and attitudes that encourage individuals to uphold both their own rights and the rights of others. It contributes fundamentally to the long-term prevention of human rights violations and represents a significant investment in the pursuit of a just society in which all human rights are valued and respected for all individuals.
National human rights institutions play a key role in human rights education by assisting in the development of related educational programs, conducting relevant research, and participating in their implementation in schools, universities, and professional environments—as stipulated in the Paris Principles. The OHCHR also plays an important role by working with national institutions through the development of guidance notes, methodological tools, best practices, and lessons learned on issues related to national human rights institutions.
Based on the recommendations of the Cairo Forum, the Network and the Centre will work on developing a guidance manual on best practices in human rights education in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools in the Arab region—particularly in extracurricular programs and activities. This manual will be disseminated to all those involved in human rights education as a reference to support the development of relevant programs and activities in alignment with national and local contexts.
The methodology for preparing the manual will rely on collecting experiences and best practices from the Arab region, based on the action plan of the World Programme for Human Rights Education. A draft manual will be developed and then shared at a later stage with all contributors and participants from the Cairo Forum to promote the integration of human rights education into extracurricular activities in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools across the region, and to strengthen cooperation and partnerships between national human rights institutions and ministries of education.

III. Specific Objectives
1.    Follow-up on Recommendation No. 13 of the Cairo Forum regarding the integration of human rights concepts into formal and informal educational curricula, the support of the development of national strategies on human rights education, and the establishment of executive mechanisms and allocation of necessary resources. This will be achieved by creating a guidance manual for Arab states that includes the diverse experiences and expertise of national institutions in integrating human rights education into extracurricular activities in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools, along with OHCHR expertise.
2.    Follow-up on Recommendation No. 15 of the Forum on raising students’ awareness of values such as tolerance, citizenship, combating hate speech, openness to other cultures, and intercultural dialogue—by actively using school clubs and extracurricular activities to enhance the integration of human rights education.

IV. Work Plan
This document outlines a detailed plan for initiating the first phase of the manual's development, which will engage all national human rights institutions and relevant ministries/agencies across the Arab states. The aim is to collect key experiences, best practices, and efforts made by national institutions and ministries in promoting human rights education concepts. These will then be shared with all stakeholders through a practical toolkit for teachers and school principals in primary, preparatory, and secondary schools for applying human rights education in extracurricular activities.
The work plan consists of the following phases:
1.    Engaging all national human rights institutions and ministries of education by sending a questionnaire or form to gather their experiences and requesting the submission of materials related to human rights education integration.
2.    Compiling, reviewing, and analyzing experiences to identify common elements, innovative approaches, and key success factors, to be carried out by experts based on OHCHR standards (Annex 2: UN Action Plan for the First Phase of the World Programme for Human Rights Education – attached).
3.    Conducting an online workshop to derive recommendations and work on publishing the guidance manual or booklet identifying best practices and offering practical implementation recommendations, in addition to integrating OHCHR expertise in the field. (Details on format and number of workshops to be determined later.)
4.    Develop a dissemination strategy to share the outcomes with relevant stakeholders, including through publications and workshops.
5.    Encouraging and promoting the adoption of best practices at both national and regional levels, leveraging the influence of national human rights institutions and OHCHR in this area.