Becoming a human rights friendly school: A Guide for schools around the world

The Human Rights Friendly Schools project aims to empower young people and promote the active participation of all members of the school community in integrating human rights values and principles into all areas of school life. The project is founded on the belief that by increasing knowledge and changing attitudes and behaviours in entire communities, a global culture of human rights becomes possible. This guide describes what a Human Rights Friendly school is and what it can achieve, and offers practical suggestions on how to integrate human rights in schools around the world. It explains how the 10 global Principles for Human Rights Friendly schools, based on international human rights standards, can be integrated into four key areas of school life: governance, relationships, curriculum and extra-curricular activities, and school environment. Illustrated throughout with successful case studies, this guide describes the steps schools can take to plan and implement the project. Finally, it provides useful tools to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate the school’s journey.