Our global network of contributors to the AI & Human Rights Index is currently writing these articles and glossary entries. This particular page is currently in the recruitment and research stage. Please return later to see where this page is in the editorial workflow. Thank you! We look forward to learning with and from you.

---

[Insert statement of urgency and significance for why this right relates to AI.]

Sectors #

The contributors of the AI & Human Rights Index have identified the following sectors as responsible for both using AI to protect and advance this human right.

• BUS: Business Sectors
• ENV: Environmental and Energy
• TRAN: Transportation and Infrastructure
• GOV: Government and Public Sector

AI’s Potential Violations #

[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could violate this human right.]

AI’s Potential Benefits #

[Insert 300- to 500-word analysis of how AI could advance this human right.]

Human Rights Instruments #

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) #

G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 993 U.N.T.S. 3 (Dec. 16, 1966)

Article 12

The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for:

(b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene.

Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (2016) #

Education 2030: Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 4—Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, UNESCO Doc. ED-2016/WS/28 (2016)

The Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets:

4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender Equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.a Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Framework for the Implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (2019) #

UNESCO, Framework for the Implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Beyond 2019, 40th Sess., Gen. Conf., U.N. Doc. 40 C/23 (2019)

ESD for 2030 approach

6. ESD for 2030 is to be implemented as an integral part of UNESCO’s contribution to achieving the SDGs, notably SDG4-Education 2030, in full coherence with its Programme and Budget. The following key notions were identified in the consultations process as the basis for ESD for 2030:

7. Transformative action: ESD has to pay more attention to each learner’s individual transformation processes and how they happen. First, transformation necessitates a certain level of disruption together with courage and determination. Second, there are stages of transformation for the individual: with the acquisition of knowledge, learners become aware of certain realities; with critical analysis, they begin to understand the complexities of the realities; experiential exposure can lead to an empathic connection to realities; when the realities are relevant to one’s life and through tipping moments, compassion and Solidarity are developed. This understanding of transformation involves not only formal, but also non-formal and informal education; both cognitive and socio-emotional learning; and community and citizenship education.

8. Structural changes: There is a need for ESD to pay more attention to the deep structural causes of unsustainable development, in particular the relationship between economic growth and sustainable development. ESD should promote development as a balancing act, which implies adapting to changes while respecting the values of conservation, sufficiency, moderation and Solidarity. A structural view is also required to address ESD in contexts of extreme poverty or other challenging survival situations (e.g. conflict or refugee situations), where the full complexity of the concept of sustainable development does not immediately resonate with people trying to survive on a daily basis. In these contexts, ESD should consider people’s specific living conditions and provide them with skills to ensure their livelihood. Above all, it should ensure human Dignity and the right to live decently.

9. The technological future: Technological advances may provide solutions to some of the “old” Sustainability problems, but some ESD efforts to change people’s behaviour may no longer be relevant. However, the technological solutions themselves may bring new challenges or simply create an illusion of having solved the original problems. ESD and its emphasis on critical thinking is therefore becoming ever more important. For example, with sensor-equipped buildings, the behaviour of switching off lights to save energy may become extinct, but the value of saving energy should remain relevant. New opportunities will also open up for ESD, such as accelerating the transition to green technologies by equipping people with the required green skills. Orienting ESD to support the achievement of the SDGs will provide the opportunity for the ESD community to work more closely with key technology stakeholders, namely business, manufacturing and enterprise sectors.

Education for Sustainable Development: A Roadmap (2020) #

UNESCO, Education for Sustainable Development: A Roadmap, U.N. Doc. ED/PLS/ESD/2020/01 (2020)

ESD empowers learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to take informed decisions and make responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society empowering people of all genders, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity.

ESD is a lifelong learning process and an integral part of quality education that enhances cognitive, social and emotional and behavioural dimensions of learning. It is holistic and transformational and encompasses learning content and outcomes, pedagogy and the learning environment itself.

Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development: Learn for Our Planet, Act for Sustainability (2022) #

UNESCO, Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development: Learn for Our Planet, Act for Sustainability, UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, ED-2021/WS/17 (2022)

3. We are confident that education is a powerful enabler of positive change of mindsets and worldviews and that it can support the integration of all dimensions of sustainable development, of economy, society and the environment, ensuring that development trajectories are not exclusively orientated towards economic growth to the detriment of the planet, but towards the well-being of all within planetary boundaries.

4. We are confident that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), anchored in SDG 4.7 and as an enabler for all 17 SDGs, is the foundation for the required transformation, providing everyone with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to become change agents for sustainable development. ESD enables learners to develop their cognitive and non-cognitive skills, such as critical thinking and competences for collaboration, problem solving, coping with complexity and risk, building resilience, thinking systemically and creatively, and empowering them to take responsible action as citizens, fulfilling their right to quality education as defined in SDG 4 -Education 2030. We believe that ESD must be based on and promote respect for nature, as well as human rights, democracy, the rule of law, Non-Discrimination, equity and gender Equality. In addition, it should promote intercultural understanding, cultural diversity, a culture of peace and non-violence, inclusion and the notion of responsible and active global citizenship.