4th Annual Network Conference

by Michael Seberich

A coffee room at the Haus Rissen conference center near Hamburg. After a long day the Network members sit together, drink a glass of wine and discuss the events of September 11th. It is a heated discussion that shows how varied the cultural backgrounds of the Network members are. The viewpoints are manifold and this particular issue was discussed again and again throughout the 4th annual conference of the International Network on Education for Democracy, Human Rights and Tolerance. This years meeting from the 12th – 16th November 2001 showed very clearly that after the recent acts of terror, tolerance education is faced with new dilemmas.

The conference opened with working group meetings. The group on "Evaluation” continued its work on an introductory workshop on evaluation. The group committed to "Educational Concepts” in tolerance education focused on contributions to the final publication of the evaluation group. The editorial team for the "Tolerance Reports” got together to discuss the essence of the reports handed in so far.

The working group on "Human Rights Education” used the meeting to further locate needs in this field. It looked at the different ways how member organizations of the Network deal with human rights in their educational work. Cecilia O. Lioanag and Felice Yeban, both Aquino Foundation, allowed the group a practical insight into different dimensions of human rights education in the Philippines. Galit Oren and Nasrin Morkus, both ADAM Institute, introduced the group to exercises in the field of social and economic rights.

The second conference day was spent learning more about issues that concern the Network within the German context. The group met with Prof. Dr. Ursula Neumann, Commissioner for Minority Affairs of the City of Hamburg. She presented the group with an overview of the situation of immigrants and refugees in Hamburg. In a lively discussion she introduced some of the educational means the city uses to promote the integration of foreigners.

A visit to the Imam-Ali Mosque in the center of the city enabled the group to see another side of Hamburg. Established in the early 50ies this mosque has been one of early centers of Islam in Germany. Its spiritual and community leaders are involved in various cross-religious dialogues. The discussion with one of the representatives of the mosque was a real learning experience for most of the Network‘s members.

The actual conference opened on Thursday morning with reports by the working groups of the Network. In the presence of Josef Janning, Vice President and Head of the Politics Division of the Bertelsmann Foundation, Prof. Seamus Dunn, University of Ulster, talked about the preliminary results of the tolerance reports and lined out the time schedule for this project.

Katrin Uhl, Bertelsmann Foundation, presented a final outline of the introductory workshop on evaluation. Florian Wenzel, Center for Applied Policy Research, looked back at the development of "The Power of Language” manual and the lessons the Network can draw out of this process.

A new member was welcomed to the Network this year: U Managing Conflict (UMAC) from Cape Town, South Africa. Mark Jansen and Vukile Nexishi introduced the work of this organization to the conference participants. UMAC‘s focus on educational programs for demilitarized youth, conflict resolution within communities and women and peacebuilding will again enrich the portfolio of the Network.

The rest of the day focused on trends in human rights education. In a panel discussion Diego Bang from the Danish Center for Human Rights, Prof. Dr. K.-Peter Fritzsche, UNESCO Chair in Human Rights Education at the University of Magdeburg, Barbara Weber from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights in Vienna and Dr. Felice Yeban from the Philippine Normal University presented different approaches. The discussion concentrated on the question whether human rights education should only focus on learning about concrete rights that are manifested in various legal documents or whether it also includes a wider approach of value and democracy education. To bridge this gap of understanding creatively appears to be one of the central aspects for future approaches of human rights education.

The festive dinner on that evening was enlightened with a speech by Helmut Kulitz of the German Federal Foreign Office’s Human Rights Department. He introduced the Network to recent developments in human rights politics and initiatives of the German government in this area. Of special interest was the emphasis of an emerging international debate on economic rights and initiatives on regulating genetic engineering.

The conference finished with a discussion of the future strategy of the Network. In a final session several Network members gave brief updates on the current political situation in their home countries. In these presentations again the events of September 11th, 2001 was one of the central issues – especially for the Network members from Israel and the United States. The next conference will take place in spring 2003. At that time we should be able to judge how our work in tolerance, human rights and democracy education actually has changed.

Read also the online report by Eva Rendle

Index: Podium

Intergroup Relations Programs: How Effective Are They?
by Walter G. Stephan & Cookie White Stephan

4th Annual Network Conference
by Michael Seberich

Presentation of the "Power of Language" - Handbook at the Council of Europe
by Viola Georgi

Empowerment and Human Security in a time of transition - impressions from a visit in South Africa
by Katrin Uhl

The Aquino Foundation

Evaluation of Education for Democracy and Tolerance
by Gabriele Ketterle