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Section
Youth : Educational programmes
Section on the ICRC's educational programmes and modules for young people featuring the Exploring Humanitarian Law programme (EHL), the Secondary School Programme in CIS countries, and other educational initiatives. Included are communication approaches for young people not attending school.
By ratifying the Geneva Conventions of 1949, a State obliges itself to promote IHL, especially among military personnel but also among the civilian population at large. While the ICRC has a long tradition of assisting governments in the promotion of IHL among its military and security forces, it decided in the 1990s to step up its efforts to promote IHL among young people.

Two large-scale programmes for young people in educational settings have since been launched, the secondary school programme for countries of the former Soviet Union, and the international "Exploring Humanitarian Law" (EHL) programme.
The basic aim of the ICRC's education programmes is:

  • to familiarise young people with the notion of human dignity as an inviolable quality that must be respected, both in times of peace and in times of armed conflict; and
  • to familiarise young people with the principles of international humanitarian law (IHL) and with the nature and work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

See also these sections :

Children in war

Children and international humanitarian law

Cooperation between national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the ICRC
Key document
    15-11-2006
    Exploring Humanitarian Law - Project Summary
    What is EHL? - Rationale - Structure and methodology - Learning outcomes - Teacher training and implementation - Further priorities and action
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth\Exploring humanitarian law)
    Includes Photo

In other sites
    18-11-2003
    Amnesty International
    Amnesty International is working for the respect of human rights world-wide and is also active in the campaign to abolish the recruitment of children as soldiers
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)
    Other site

    18-11-2003
    Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
    The "Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers" is working to prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to secure their demobilisation and reintegration into society.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    18-11-2003
    Save the Children
    Save the Children's Emergencies and Protection Program responds to the needs of child soldiers and unaccompanied children during armed conflict.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    Human Rights Education
    Activities of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    European Commission Youth Programme
    The EU's Youth programme is a non-formal education programme targeting young people aged between 15 and 25 years. The Programme is open to youth in 30 European countries and wants to encourage young people to pursue active citizenship and boost their participation in democratic life.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    IBE - International Bureau of Education
    The IBE concentrates on the adaptation of educational content to the challenges of the 21st century, focusing on strengthening capacity-building in the area of management of curriculum change.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    UNESCO
    Activities of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies' youth web-pages
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    Programmes to combat discrimination and violence
    National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world run a variety of activities related to the theme of reducing discrimination and violence.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

    6-11-2003
    Humanitarian Principles and Values Programme
    Youth activities stressing the Movement's principles are part of a worldwide initiative of national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and their Federation.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Youth)

Fact Sheet
    28-2-2003
    Legal Protection of Children in Armed Conflict
    Fact sheet describing the obligations of States regarding the national implementation of the norms applicable to this particular aspect of international humanitarian law.
    (Humanitarian law\National implementation\Publications\Fact sheets)
    Fact Sheet Includes PDF

International Review of the Red Cross
Official Statement
    18-11-2007
    Promotion and protection of the rights of children
    United Nations, General Assembly, 62nd session, Third Committee, Item 66 (a) of the agenda, Statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New York, 17-19 Octobre 2007
    (ICRC Activities\Humanitarian diplomacy\United Nations\62nd General Assembly)
    Official Statement

Photo Collection
    8-3-2005
    Ivorian children look at war and the law
    The ICRC delegation in Côte d’Ivoire has taken the original step of asking street children in Abidjan, under the supervision of the Red Cross Society of Côte d’Ivoire, to produce illustrations relating to the basic rules of humanitarian law. The best drawings were published in a calendar.
    (Info resources\Photos\Africa)
    Photo Collection

Stories from the field
    29-12-2005
    Congo-Brazzaville: cartoons help promote international humanitarian law
    Pool is a Congolese department regularly affected by armed violence. Now, secondary-school children here can study basic humanitarian principles using a tool specially designed for Africa. This report is from the ICRC’s Brazzaville-based communication delegate Wolde Saugeron.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Africa\Congo-Brazzaville)
    Stories from the field Includes Photo

More in this section
Other site
    16-11-2006
    Exploring Humanitarian Law Virtual Campus
    The English language website EHL Virtual Campus serves as a resource centre and online community for the EHL programme. It provides support to the growing EHL community by providing ongoing EHL training and access to programme resources via internet.
    (Info resources\Other sites\Red Cross and Red Crescent)
    Other site

    10-8-2005
    Oxfam – Generation Why
    Oxfam has loads of ways for young people to get involved, from sporting challenges to club nights, and from volunteering at a festival to campaigning. "Get involved with the things that you love and help fight poverty while you're at it."
    (Info resources\Other sites\Non-governmental organizations)
    Other site

    23-2-2005
    Terre des hommes
    (Info resources\Other sites\Non-governmental organizations)
    Other site

    23-2-2005
    UNICEF – UN Children’s Fund
    Information and news by country and subject (weapons, children and war, AIDS, sanitary education, etc.). UNICEF activities. Catalogue of publications. Statistics. Press releases and declarations. Annual reports on-line.
    (Info resources\Other sites\United Nations)
    Other site



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18-05-2008