Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is one of the most important

articles in the history of human rights. It states that everyone has the right to education, and
that education should be free, compulsory, and accessible to all on the basis of merit. It also
states that education should be directed to the full development of the human personality and
the promotion of human rights, peace, and democracy. In this presentation, I will explain the
background, the content, and the significance of Article 26.

The UDHR was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, as a
response to the atrocities of World War II and the Holocaust. It was the first international
document that recognized the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all
human beings. It was drafted by a committee of experts from different legal and cultural
backgrounds, who debated and discussed various aspects of human rights for two years.
Article 26 was one of the most controversial and complex articles, as it involved the issues of
parental choice, state responsibility, and cultural diversity.

Article 26 consists of three paragraphs, each addressing a different aspect of the right to
education. The first paragraph guarantees the right to education for all, and specifies that
education should be free and compulsory at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.
This means that every child should have access to basic education, regardless of their social,
economic, or geographic conditions. The second paragraph states that the aim of education
should be the full development of the human personality and the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms. It also states that education should enable the participation of
everyone in the cultural life of the society and the promotion of understanding, tolerance, and
friendship among all nations, racial, or religious groups. The third paragraph affirms the right of
parents to choose the kind of education that their children receive, in accordance with their
own religious and philosophical convictions. It also implies that the state should respect the
diversity of educational approaches and provide adequate support and regulation.

Article 26 has been widely recognized as a cornerstone of the right to education, and has
inspired the adoption of more than 70 human rights treaties and conventions that elaborate
and protect this right at the global and regional levels. Some of the most important ones are
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (1989), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (1979), and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006).
These treaties provide more detailed and specific standards and obligations for the states and
the international community to ensure the realization of the right to education for all.

However, despite the progress made in the past decades, the right to education still faces
many challenges and gaps in its implementation. According to the UNESCO Global Education
Monitoring Report, more than 250 million children and youth are out of school, and more than
600 million are not learning the basic skills they need to live and work in the 21st century.
Moreover, many people face discrimination, exclusion, and violence in and through education,
based on their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, or other factors. Furthermore, many
education systems are not adequately preparing the learners for the complex and changing
world, and are not fostering the values and attitudes that are essential for the protection and
promotion of human rights, peace, and democracy.

Therefore, it is crucial to reaffirm and revitalize the commitment to Article 26 of the UDHR, and
to ensure that everyone can enjoy the right to education in its full scope and potential.
Education is not only a human right, but also a means and a tool for the realization of other
human rights and for the transformation of the society. As the UDHR states in its preamble,
education is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.