Name:

Dr. Manoranjan Mohanty

Dr. Manoranjan Mohanty

Designation

Head and Founder, University of the South Pacific, Suva

Organization/Institution

Senior Lecturer, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji

Country

Fiji

Short Biography

After his stint in Jawhar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi, Dr Mohanty went to teach in the university of the South Pacific, Fiji. He has written many books and research papers on international relations. He has participated in a number of conferences on international relations. He is widely traveled and has visited Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Maldives, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, United States of America and United Kingdom.

Presentation

Human Rights Education and Human Development in Developing Countries: Role of Civil Society

Human rights and human development are closely intertwined. Protection of human rights is a prerequisite of sustainable development. The development process must promote freedom and human dignity and thus implies free from violation of human rights. Human freedom and human development are closely intertwined & can be measured by ‘human freedom index’. The Civil liberties: freedom of expression, associational and individual rights and personal autonomy are linked to human development and are low in many developing countries. Economic growth is a prerequisite but is not always compatible with human development. Human rights education (HRE) is critical in upholding civil liberties & human rights. HRE enables people to know their rights and promotes values that encourage individuals to uphold their own rights and of others. It contributes to building free and peaceful societies.

The role of civil society in human rights educational campaign and protecting human rights is crucial. Civil societies have significantly participated in advocacy, movements for protection of human rights and freedom, and right based development process etc. Research suggests that there exists more number of Human rights NGOs in developed countries than developing world. USA and the UK have more than half of them. Several transnational Human rights NGOs such as e.g. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Transparency International, International Federation of Human Rights, and Peace Brigades International etc are on the forefronts of campaign for human rights education and human rights protection. Many national level Human rights NGOs are also notable e.g. Bangladesh Human Rights Network and Democracy Watch (Bangladesh), Asian Legal Resource Centre (China), and Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (Zimbabwe), People’s Union for Civil Liberties, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, India..

The paper attempts to bring out linkages between human rights education and human development and examines importance of human rights education in human rights protection and also explores the role of civil society in human rights education and sensitizing and creating consciousness for a New World.