Human Rights and Citizenship Education

London, United Kingdom,

University of London

This conference is the third to be held under the auspices of the International Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship, a joint centre of Birkbeck College and the Institute of Education, both of the University of London. It will bring together national and international researchers, policy makers and education professionals from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Keynote speakers:

·        Daniele Archibugi
·        Bill Bowring
·        Gerison Lansdown
·        Hugh Starkey

Daniele Archibugi is Professor of Innovation, Governance and Public Policy in the School of Management and Organizational Psychology, Birkbeck, University of London. He is adviser to the European Union, the OECD, several UN agencies His most recent book is The Global Commonwealth of Citizens. Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2008).
Bill Bowring is Professor of Law in the School of Law, Birkbeck, University of London and a practising barrister.  He has extensive professional practice representing applicants and appearing in the European Court of Human Rights. He is a Fellow of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex.

Gerison Lansdown is an international children's rights consultant. Recent publications include A Human Rights Based Approach to Education for All, UNICEF/UNESCO, 2008. She was actively involved in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on behalf of children with disabilities.
Hugh Starkey is Reader of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London and co-director of the International Centre for Education for Democratic Citizenship. He has acted as a consultant on human rights education for the Council of Europe, UNESCO, European Commission and the British Council.

This conference provides an opportunity to present work in progress and participate in debating the role of human rights as universal standards underpinning education, civil society, democracy and therefore citizenship. Democracy requires the civil and political rights and fundamental freedoms that are guaranteed in human rights instruments. Freedom of thought and of peaceful assembly, the right to circulate and receive information and to join a trade union or political party are essential to a participatory democratic system. The achievement of economic and social rights including rights to shelter, to health care and to an adequate standard of living is a major goal and agenda for political action by citizens. Since human rights are universal they imply global solidarityThere is growing recognition of human rights as both a normative ideal and also an agenda for action in pursuit of social justice. This conference will enable researchers and practitioners to explore the implications of commitments to human rights for understandings of citizenship and democracy. Across the world, the role of civil society organisations is crucial in ensuring that governments are held to their obligations under international human rights and children’s rights law. Such campaigns are based on exerting moral and therefore political pressure and raising public awareness and understanding of human rights is crucial to campaigning for equity and greater democratic participation. Within the formal education sector, citizenship education is a site where non-governmental organisations (NGOs) contribute expertise and materials in support of schools.

The conference welcomes contributions to this debate. These can be in the form of academic papers based on research or scholarship; case studies of practice in schools, communities and formal and informal education settings; reports of projects and initiatives at local, regional, national, international or European levels. We hope that some conference papers will also examine critically the role NGOs in these areas.

Contributions are welcome from academics and researchers from education, sociology, politics and other relevant disciplines, as well as teachers, political or community activists, those working for NGOs, national or local government agencies, community relations councils and all those committed to democracy and promoting equalities and human rights.
Abstracts of no more than 200 words, giving your name and contact details, title and abstract should be sent, no later than Thursday 30 April 2009 to: Dr Dina Kiwan at [email protected]
Proposals for several contributions on a common theme (symposium) are welcome. Please include details of each contribution and the name of the symposium convenor. We expect that selected papers will be published in journals with which we have made contact.
All abstracts will be peer reviewed by members of the ICEDC steering group.