1. The project

• Main aims:
  To contribute to the development of models of education about religion or belief and about human rights that increase knowledge and understanding between people with different believes and world views and that are in compliance with international human rights standards on freedom of religion or belief.
  
  
• Main strategy:
  Co-operate with other partners in developing an international and interdisciplinary network that contribute to the realisation of the following up of the recommendations of the 2001UN Madrid Consultative Conference on School Education in Relation with Freedom of Religion or Belief, Tolerance and Non-discrimination by giving input to relevant institutions at the international and national level.

Background:
In November 2001 the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief in co-operation with the Spanish authorities arranged an international conference focusing on the role of school education in relation to freedom of religion or belief. The main aim was to develop strategies on how religious intolerance and discrimination can be prevented and how freedom of religion or belief can be promoted through education. The conference resulted in a declaration (Madrid Final Document) with recommendations for the following up both at national and international level, focusing i.e. on the need for strengthening the human rights education and increasing the pupils' knowledge and understanding of the world views or religious traditions of others. The importance of securing the parents and children's rights and the right to freedom of religion or belief in relation to school education was underlined.

Building a network:
If these recommendations are to be followed up in a way that might meet the main aims of the Madrid conference, dialogue and co-operation across national, religious and disciplinary borders are required.

There is a need for exchange between

• a) people with legal expertise in the field of human rights (and in particular freedom of religion or belief ),
• b) persons with expertise in the field of education about religion and belief and human rights/civic education, and
• c) people with experience in inter-faith / inter-belief dialogue.

In order to facilitate dialogue between persons with expertise in these three different, but interrelated fields, The Oslo Coalition will co-operate with existing networks and organisations, both those with a regional focus (like Europe) and those with a global focus. The need for such continuous co-operation and dialogue between people with expertise from different arenas, disciplines and parts of the world were manifest at the Madrid conference. Also co-operation with governmental authorities as well as the UN system and other super-national organisations will be of importance to succeed.

The Oslo Coalition has therefore taken the initiative to organise - together with partner organisations - an international conference of experts in 2003 to foster the further network-building in this field and to promote the follow-up of the aims and recommendations of the 2001 Madrid Consultative Conference. An international and interdisciplinary strategy development / planning seminar will take place in Oslo 7th to 10th December 2002 as a part of the preparation for the 2003 conference, and will be hosted by the Oslo Coalition.

2. The Oslo Strategy Development Seminar December 7th to 9th 2002

Main aim of the seminar:
The main aim for the December preparatory seminar is to provide a basis and make plans for the 2003 international conference and for further interdisciplinary network building that might contribute to the following of the recommendations of the Madrid conference both at the national and international level.

Participants:
For the strategy development seminar to be held in Oslo from December 7th to 9th 2002, experts in the three above mentioned fields of a) human rights/ freedom of religion or belief; b) education about religion and belief and human rights/civics and c) inter-faith / inter-belief dialogue are invited. The experts have been recruited both from academic institutions and from non-governmental organisations with competence in the respective fields, coming from different parts of the world. The organisers of the 2001 Madrid Conference (The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and representatives of the Spanish hosts) as well as other international bodies working in the field of education, tolerance and freedom of religion or belief (i.e. UNESCO and OSCE) will be represented. The number of participants for this seminar is limited to 25 in order to facilitate dialogue and participation among the experts from different fields, and because it is only a strategy development seminar for the coming 2003 conference.

Main tasks:
Among the central tasks of the participants at the strategy development seminar are:

• to transform the general aims and recommendations of the Madrid conference into concrete criteria for the future work in reaching these aims and following up the recommendations
• to provide the ground for inter-disciplinary discussion about different models of education about religion, belief and human rights and about how these might meet with the criteria set up in order to meet with the Madrid aims and recommendations
• to come up with ideas on how experts from the different academic fields may communicate with each other as well as co-operate with national authorities and international institutions in the developing of curricula and teaching material as well as legal frameworks for school education that might meet the aims of the Madrid conference (fostering tolerance, non-discrimination and freedom of religion or belief through school education), and
• by this provide the ground for the planning of the 2003 conference and the further network building

These tasks or aims have been used in the structuring of the seminar program and it's sessions.

The program and preparations:
As seen from the attached program, the seminar is divided into four main sessions that are structured to meet with the four tasks or aims outlined above. The main focus of the four sessions hence are as follows:

• Session 1 (Saturday)
  What are the "criteria of success" for achieving the aims of the Madrid Conference?
  - from a legal/human rights point of view
  - from a pedagogical point of view
  
  
• Session 2 (Sunday)
  Education on religion, belief and human rights: Presentation and discussion of the models
  - from a pedagogical perspective
  - from a legal /human rights perspective
  - on the basis of case studies
  
  
• Session 3 (Monday I)
  How can inter-disciplinary networks, national authorities, international bodies and representatives of faith and life stance communities work together to achieve the aims and follow up the recommendations of the Madrid Conference?
• Especially: What are the needs and possibilities for co-operation between legal experts and experts in the field of pedagogy if the Madrid aims are to be achieved?
  
  

• Session 4 (Monday 2)
  What should be the more concrete aims for the 2003 Conference?
• What expertise should be represented in the planning committee for the conference?
• What other plans should be made to facilitate the further network building?

The sessions are structured to facilitate a progression in the discussions, - the one building upon the other. Especially session 2 and 3 focus on the need for interdisciplinary dialogue about the issues.

The sessions will include some prepared statements, but will leave plenty of room for dialogue among all participants. It is hence important that all participants prepare for the seminar by thinking through the above mentioned questions from their own perspective.

Papers from the introductory speakers will be distributed at the seminar, and will be included in a final report from the seminar that also will include summaries of the plenary discussions.

If some participants have not yet read the Concluding document of the Madrid conference, it is highly recommendable to do so before the seminar. The document as well as other documents relating to the conference and it's items are to be found at the Internet page of the UN:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/main.htm