The 2014-2015 project Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights aims to promote a culture of democracy and human rights through education, based on cooperation and sharing of good practice among the States Party to the European Cultural Convention (ECC). 

The Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education, which was adopted by the Council of Europe member states in 2010, provides a common focus and catalyst for action in this area.  The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the sustainable development of education for democratic citizenship and human rights in the ECC countries. 

The objectives include the following:

  • To raise awareness of the Charter and its potential for supporting the ECC countries in this area;
  • to develop support tools for the implementation of the Charter;
  • to foster networking, partnerships and cooperation.
Multilateral cooperation

The Council of Europe supports networking and cooperation among the countries, in particular through the network of co-ordinators for Education for democratic citizenship and human rights (EDC/HRE coordinators).  Review of the implementation of the Charter aims at providing an overview of the progress made and priority areas for future action.  The first review was held in 2012.  The 2nd review is foreseen in 2016-2017.

The Council of Europe supports peer-to-peer learning among the countries, in particular though the EU/CoE programme “Human Rights and Democracy in Action”.  This programme provides funding for small scale cooperation projects among 3-8 countries within the scope of the Charter.

Bilateral cooperation - Joint Programmes

Support to specific countries is provided in the framework of the Joint Programmes between the European Commission and the Council of Europe. Such programmes allow making use of the expertise and best practice collected and developed through multilateral cooperation.

Regional cooperation

Regional Summer Academies aim to bridge policy and practice, based on training and networking programmes for school teams from Eastern Europe and South East Europe. The Summer Academies are a joint project of the European Wergeland Centre, the Council of Europe and the authorities of Poland and Montenegro.

Council of Europe supports the Five Nations Network, which is a unique forum for sharing practice in education for Citizenship and values in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

International cooperation

The Council of Europe strives to promote synergies and cooperation with other international institutions and organisations. In 2011, an International Contact Group on citizenship and human rights education was set up, with a view to ensure close co-operation among regional and international initiatives in this field.

International Contact Group

Within the Council of Europe

The Council of Europe Education Department works in close cooperation with many other partners within the Organisation, including the Youth Department, the Programme “Building Europe for and with Children”, the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

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