Ei-iE

The Education International First World Congress meeting in Harare (Zimbabwe) from 19 to 23 July 1995:

1. Notes the increase in racial, ethnic and religious intolerance in many regions of the world;

2. Expresses concern at the rapidly growing number of refugees, displaced persons and asylum seekers as a result of such intolerance;

3. Declares its horror at the brutal discrimination and murderous attacks on national minorities, the genocidal intent of ethnic cleansing and ethnic wars;

4. Condemns indiscriminate violence based on racial, ethnic and religious intolerance;

5. Registers concern at the electoral successes of extreme parties with racist and anti-semitic tendencies;

6. Deplores the rise of fundamentalist religious groups which are intolerant of all other groups who do not share their beliefs;

7. Deplores equally the failure of UN member states to provide the UN with the ability to intervene effectively as peace keepers to protect the victims of wide spread attacks;

8. Condemns countries which adopt policy based on intolerance and deny the right of asylum to those persecuted as a result of racial, religious or ethnic intolerance.

The Congress:

9. Congratulates the people of South Africa for their success in ending apartheid;

10. Recognises the special responsibility of the teaching profession and all workers in education to practice and teach respect and tolerance for cultural, ethnic and religious differences to the children and young people with whom we work.

11. Stresses that the fight against all forms of discrimination and intolerance is an integral part of the development of citizenship, a fundamental role of education;

The Congress calls on member organisations to:

12. Increase their efforts to combat all forms of racism, anti-semitism, religious intolerance, chauvinistic nationalism and xenophobia and to ensure that this struggle is an integral part of the education provided to all students;

13. Demand that governments and other authorities provide the resources required for this work;

14. Promote the creation of conditions within the school for the successful integration of children from ethnic minorities and for the children of migrant workers;

15. Provide special language programs for children of ethnic minorities to ensure that they are not discriminated against because of language;

16. Promote the right of children of ethnic minorities to learn and use their mother tongue.

The Congress of Education International further recommends that member organisations of EI cooperate with other non-governmental organisations, civil organisations and political organisations to:

17. Promote and support housing policies that are intended to end ghettoisation of ethnic minorities and migrant workers with their free and unimposed agreement;

18. Support the struggle for full civil, political and social rights for migrant workers and ethnic minorities;

19. Campaign for ratification and implementation of international declarations, conventions and recommendations and in particular

a. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights;

b. The International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;

c. ILO Convention 143 and Recommendation 151 on Migrant Workers and their Families;

d. ILO Convention 111 on Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation;

e. ILO Convention 107 on Indigenous and Tribal Populations in Independent countries;

f. The Helsinki Declaration;

g. The Convention on the Rights of the Child;

20. Defend the legal right to political asylum within their country;

21. Condemn acts of racism, anti-semitism, religious intolerance and xenophobia within their country and internationally;

22. Demand that governments ensure that the rights of those seeking asylum as a result of racism, anti-semitism, religious intolerance or ethnic violence are maintained.