International Diplomatic Call To The World: The signing and establishment of a rights-based education network

The Signing and Establishment of the Rights-Centric Education Network

On July 24, 2024, in Trieste, the signing and establishment of the Rights-Centric Education Network took place. The signing of the memorandum occurred on territory protected by the United Nations Security Council, specifically the Free Territory of Trieste (FTT).

On 2 January 2024, the flag of Slovenia was officially raised in front of the Security Council Chamber together with other four new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (Algeria, Guyana, Republic of Korea and Sierra Leone).

The signatories of the memorandum initiated a network to safeguard rights in education on demilitarized and neutral territory, where the statutes of peace and freedom are affirmed. In this spirit, we also pledged to our children/descendants to uphold their fundamental inalienable rights, as we are their primary guardians and guides, at least in the first part of their lives.

Memorandum and Commitment to Uphold Children's Rights in Education

As the Director of Lada Center, Klavdija Hočevar Kastelic signed the memorandum, thereby committing to respecting children’s rights in education and mutual reporting on related matters. The following witnesses were present:

• Marina Carbone, witness (President of the Transitional Government of the FTT)
• Paola Zelco, witness (Minister of Education of the FTT)
• Umberto Russo, witness (Chairman of the FTT Free Port Committee)
• Staša Sterle, witness (Citizen, Slovenia)

Je'anna Clements, also a signatory and active interpreter of our current situation, hails from South Africa. She has successfully unraveled our circumstances by emphasizing the need to draw a clear boundary against restrictions in education as we know them. Watch her interpretation here. The connecting founder in this domain, Sifaan Zavahir, stated: "It is quite alarming in practice that even today, children are not afforded the respect they deserve as human beings."

‍He is the co-founder of the first and only democratic school in Sri Lanka, which operates on the principle that free education thrives when children are granted the freedom to educate themselves, trusted to do so in their unique way and at their own pace.

Since February 2024, the period we are facing in the Republic of Slovenia deeply encroaches upon children's rights to choose their education and parents' duty to support and accompany that choice. This interference has focused on the existing range of educational options dictated by representatives, thereby limiting choice and opportunities for civil initiatives. Such actions degrade humanity and morality. How does this align with the concept of creating new forms of education?

The establishment of this network has become necessary due to the increasing involvement of state authorities in children's education worldwide. This growing influence demands an organized effort to protect children's rights to education and to hold state representatives accountable for potential abuses. Furthermore, it is crucial to globally emphasize that education is the obligation of the state and parents—not of the children themselves.

This point is particularly important due to numerous cases where parents and states deny children access to education, either to force them into labor for income or to prevent them from attending educational institutions, especially in the case of girls. These issues have been repeatedly highlighted in various United Nations documents, most notably General Comment No. 11 by the UN Economic and Social Council. Denying education based on gender, race, or forced labor violates children’s rights.

Conversely, "liberal" states can exploit children by forcing them into state-determined education systems. This practice, too, violates the rights of children and parents, as state authorities behave as though they own the children, compelling them to follow a strictly prescribed curriculum without the possibility of choice.

Lada Center is the only democratic institution in the Republic of Slovenia that upholds the values of democracy, as recognized by EUDEC. The founder has pledged that the primary guiding principle of the Center will be the respect for children's rights in education.