Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) makes universal free primary education compulsory and is often seen as a right for children. People of all ages can seek and benefit from education and literacy. "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world," said former South African president Nelson Mandela (1994-1999). This right is further developed in various international conventions, in particular the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (which has been ratified by all countries except the United States). In Article 26 of the UDHR, we see the right to the "full development of the human personality", which also appears in Articles 22 and 29. It is clear that drafters saw this term as a way of summarising many of the social, economic and cultural rights in the Declaration, and there is increasing focus in international bodies on the role of education in empowering individuals - both children and adults. Unusual when referring to the UDHR's long list of rights is the fact that this, in some respects, has been largely achieved. More children around the world have access to education today, with attendance rates for girls and boys equal in some regions. The overall number of children out of school worldwide has fallen by 100 million in the last 15 years. The World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimate that in 1960, only 42% of the world's population could read and write. This percentage has risen to over 86 per cent. Some countries have literacy rates of 100 per cent or close to it. However, literacy is a moving target. Many countries now aspire - in line with the goals set out in Article 26 - to make secondary education free and universal, and some are pursuing broader tertiary education. The concept of "literacy" is also being expanded in some places to include the ability to use numbers, images and computers as well as language, and to incorporate other ways of communicating and gaining usable knowledge. But these positive figures mask the fact that progress has been very asymmetrical, largely because of inequalities and discrimination, with the right to education still denied to children from marginalised groups and those living in the worst forms of poverty and deprivation. The most disadvantaged children continue to be left behind, such as children with disabilities, indigenous children and stateless children - and especially girls who belong to these groups. Despite the marked growth in literacy rates over the last 50 years, there are still 650 million illiterate adults in the world, the majority of whom are women. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an essential opportunity to ensure that all young people and most adults achieve literacy by 2030, with four SDGs focussing on access to and quality of education. In many places, girls are prevented by social and cultural practices from receiving an education. In 43 countries, mainly located in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and West and South Asia, women aged 15 to 24 are still less likely than men to have basic reading and writing skills. Lack of education, especially among girls, has been shown to have a huge impact on society in general, on health and on the development of countries, not only because deprivation of the right to education is often passed down through generations, but because it perpetuates deep-rooted cycles of poverty. Education is perhaps the most powerful tool available to lift marginalised children and adults out of poverty and exclusion, enabling them to play an active role in the processes and decisions that affect them. Education as a fundamental human right is essential for the exercise of all other human rights. Education promotes individual freedom and definitely contributes to children's broader empowerment, well-being and development, ensuring that they are equipped to understand and claim their rights throughout their lives. Perhaps the most prominent advocate of girls' education is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and youngest Nobel Prize winner. When she persisted in going to school after the local Taliban banned girls from school, Malala and two others were shot by a gunman in an assassination attempt. Undaunted, she continued to pursue her activities after recovering. "A book, a pen, a child and a teacher can change the world," she said. "With weapons, you can kill terrorists; with education, you can kill terrorism." Don't forget that Climate Change has a direct action.