ABSTRACT
Finally, in 2010, the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education of the Council of Europe debated and decided on the main goals and objectives of the EDC/HRE program for the coming years, strengthening policy development and policy implementation with special focus on social cohesion, social inclusion, and respect for human rights; with special attention to democratic governance of educational institutions. They called for a special effort to disseminate knowledge and best practice and to foster research in the field to establish a satisfactory knowledge base. and, finally and most importantly, to develop sustainable frameworks and mechanisms that make EDC/HRE part of everyday practices and processes at all levels of society. In May 2010 the Committee of Ministers adopted a Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education that sums up the history of the endeavor. This document provides a serious and substantive set of definitions, objectives, and principles as well as detailed policy measures, which are aptly summed up by Section 13 of the Charter under the heading Skills for promoting social cohesion, valuing diversity and handling differences and conflict.
