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In May 2003, the Manual on Human RightsEducation “Understanding Human Rights”was first presented to the public in its origi-nal English language version at the Ministe-rial Meeting of the Human Security Networkin the Human Rights City of Graz, Austria.The Manual is the result of an initiative bymy predecessor Benita Ferrero-Waldner asChairperson of the “Network” in 2002/2003.It was elaborated by a dedicated team of re-nowned Austrian and international expertsunder the auspices of the European Trainingand Research Centre for Human Rights andDemocracy (ETC) in Graz.The Human Security Network is a group of states from all regions of the world deter-mined to solve pressing problems of humansecurity by action-oriented means. On severaloccasions, such as its Ministerial Meeting inSantiago de Chile in 2002, the Network hasemphasised that “human rights provide afoundation upon which human developmentand human security can be pursued”. There-fore, Human Rights Education has becomeone of its priorities. In this spirit, the Manual“Understanding Human Rights” addresses au-diences all over the world and is intended tofunction as a genuine, practical “training tool”.It consists of training modules which can bevaried and adapted by their users according todifferent contexts and training situations.The Graz Declaration on Principles of HumanRights Education and Human Security, en-dorsed by the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Hu-man Security Network on 10 May 2003 in Graz,contains a commitment to translate the manualinto other languages in order to introduce it intodifferent regional and cultural settings.Today, just three years after its launch, themanual is available in English, French, Span-ish, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, German, Alba-
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
nian, Croatian, Serbian and Thai. This hasbeen achieved in collaboration and with thegenerous support of several members of theHuman Security Network as well as intergov-ernmental and non-governmental partners.The Manual, which has been introduced inseveral countries and regions by train-the-trainers workshops facilitated by the ETC, hasreceived a very positive feedback from users allover the world. But the rapid developments inthe field of human rights have necessitated anupdate of the Manual. Therefore, with fundingfrom the Austrian Development Cooperationand the Federal Ministry for Education, Sci-ence and Culture of Austria, a second editionhas been elaborated by the European Trainingand Research Centre for Human Rights andDemocracy (ETC) in collaboration with a largeteam of Austrian and international experts.The Manual intends to reach out to peoplefrom all world regions, cultures and socialgroups. The more diverse its users, the morethe Manual will achieve its goal to promotehuman rights and human security. In 2006,with the inception of the Human Rights Coun-cil, the international human rights architec-ture has undergone considerable changes. Itrust that this second edition of the Manual onHuman Rights Education will be able to serveas a guide to the human rights challenges thatlie ahead.Dr. Ursula PlassnikFederal Minister for Foreign Affairsof the Republic of AustriaVienna, May 2006