On 27 June, the Right to Education Initiative and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights submitted a written statement in support of the report ‘Securing the right to education: advances and critica

On 14 July, the UN Human Rights Council adopted resolution A/HRC/53/L.10 on the right to education. Recognising the political commitments made by the States at the last two major education conferences, the Transforming Education Summit in September in New York and the second World Conference on ECCE in November 2022 in Tashkent, the resolu

Between June 19 and July 14, the United Nations Human Rights Council held its 53rd ordinary session in Geneva. RTE attended the Human Rights Council sessions, participating in a variety of events to advance the realisation of the right to education. Additionally, we participated in the informal discussions for the drafting of the resolution on the right to education (A/HRC/53/L.10), adopted on 10 July 2023.

On Tuesday 27 June, during the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education presented ‘Securing the right to education: advances and critical challenges‘. Her presentation can be viewed here (begining from 2 hrs 5 minutes)

On 29 June 2023, the first International Symposiums on the Right to Education (S-I-D-E in its French acronyms) was held. It was co-organised by RTE, alongside with the University of Geneva, the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Educoop, the Francophone research network on the privatisation of education (REFPE), and the Suisse Society for Education Research (SSRE). 

On 6 July, ESCR-Net held an online discussion entitled ‘Tech companies' inroads into critical public services’. Delphine Dorsi, RTE’s Executive Director, presented information regarding educational technology and the right to education, alongside speakers including Victoria Adelman, of the Digital Welfare State and Human Rights Project, Centre for Human Rights and Justice, New York University; Hoodah Abrahams-Fayker, the Black Sash (South Africa); and Bobby Ramakant, Citizens News Service (India). 

In April, in response to the complaint submitted by S.M.G.V., a woman with an intellectual disability, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities determined that Mexico had not taken the necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to ensure her access to tertiary education.

In April, during the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, RTE and partners co-sponsored an event entitled ‘Making a real difference? Lessons from the financing of health and education for the World Bank Group’s Evolution Roadmap’. 

In the context of the meetings, the World Bank Group proposed its Evolution Roadmap to address development challenges including poverty, shared prosperity, and inequality, in addition to global issues such as climate change, pandemics, and conflict and violence. 

The 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held in Geneva between 27 February - 4 April 2023, saw the presentation of a joint statement on academic freedom by France on behalf of 72 countries. The statement reaffirms the vital importance of academic freedom and calls on all states to protect and promote it as a cornerstone of democracy and human rights.

Higher education is part of the right to education, protected under international human rights law. This means that states have the obligation to protect respect and fulfil the right to higher education and that there are ways to hold them accountable for violations or deprivations of this right.