To mark the International Human Rights Day on 10 December, schools across Moldova are rolling out a series of curricular and extracurricular activities as part of the thematic “10 days of Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights” carried out throughout December. The initiative promotes a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical democratic action, with a strong emphasis on contextual sensitivity, diversity and social cohesion.

The methodological guidelines and teaching resources used during the 10-days period were developed with the support of the Council of Europe within the project “Education for Democracy in the Republic of Moldova”. The Council of Europe also delivered online training workshops for educators, attended by around 3,800 teachers and school managers.

“For every level of schooling and each curricular area, we proposed learning tasks that we hope will inspire teachers and students to be creative. The activities of the 10-day period are structured around three key values of education for democratic citizenship and human rights education: respect for human dignity and human rights, appreciation of cultural diversity, and the promotion of democracy, justice, equity, equality and the rule of law,” said Corina Lungu, Head of the General Education Policy Department at the Ministry of Education and Research.

The activities offer students opportunities to expand their understanding of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, while also engaging with the practical realities and challenges of democratic life. This includes applying values such as inclusion, equality, fairness, participation, transparency and accountability in everyday situations in their schools and communities.

The learning process is rooted in reflective practice, helping students understand and apply democratic rights and responsibilities. The initiative also builds on earlier efforts, including the first lesson of the 2025-2026 school year, “The Values That Unite Us”, and the thematic decade “Moldova That Unites Us” held in September 2025.

These and other initiatives have been developed and implemented with support from the Council of Europe and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research of Moldova, and have contributed to the application in practice of the New Democratic Pact for Europe and in particular its Pillar 1 – Learning and Practising Democracy.