by Pam Perraud, AAWE Paris/FAUSA
One of the most important parts of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is SDG #4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. UNESCO considers its work in Global Citizenship Education to be vital to the attainment of this goal by teaching human rights and peace education and by shining a light on the Holocaust, genocide and activities that combat all forms of intolerance, racism and anti-Semitism.
Presenting The Holocaust Factually
UNESCO has developed curricula and recommendations on how to present concepts and content on the Holocaust “to mitigate the misuse of references to this in an age...where knowledge about the Holocaust is fragmented and often distorted, if not used for political ends.” Designing evidence-based guidance and tools to support textbooks and curricula revision and development is becoming more urgent than ever due to the dwindling number of Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses. Also, worldwide, crimes against humanity are still occurring at an alarming rate.
For UNESCO, textbooks are the instruments of education for international peace and understanding. The hope is that students will acquire the knowledge of this complex event and obtain the awareness needed to avoid similar events in the future. The aim is that by understanding the Holocaust, students will learn to appreciate basic human rights and the value of tolerance and mutual respect. UNESCO has surveyed secondary school history and social studies curricula in 135 countries since 2000. They have found that many could use assistance in how to present the Holocaust. They recently published a study called the International Status of Education about the Holocaust: A Global Mapping of Textbooks and Curricula (ISEH). For author Peter Carrier, it is
one piece in a puzzle whose aim is to better understand how world affairs are interconnected, to encourage learning about other peoples’ histories, and to foster reflection about the relation between learning and genocide prevention. Although one cannot directly ‘learn’ how to implement human rights or even how to be a global citizen by studying genocides, their negative example does help young people to learn to avoid humiliating and harming others, and to appreciate and preserve what human decency each of us, to differing degrees, enjoys.
Fighting the Roots of Extremism
Since 2018, as part of its Global Citizenship Education program, UNESCO has been also working on new curricula aimed at combatting violent extremism. The new curriculum supports crafting educational programs in schools that build young people’s resilience to violent extremism by giving them a positive sense of identity and belonging. It also wants to build a commitment of peace with students through values, skills and behaviors that reject violent extremism. The new curriculum seeks to undermine ignorance by fighting prejudice and discrimination through active engagement and dialogue rather than violence.
Additional Resources
To learn more about UNESCO’s programs on the Holocaust and Violent Extremism go to:
On The Holocaust: https://www.gcedclearinghouse.org/resources/recommendations-teaching-and-learning-about-holocaust
On Violent Extremism: https://www.gcedclearinghouse.org/resources/unesco-action-preventing-violent-extremism-worldwide
Guide for Policy-Makers: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247764
Guide for Teachers: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000244676
Photo credit: C. L. McKelvey
