Costa Rican legislator honored for seeing to human rights education being implemented throughout the country’s school system.

Mr. Jorge Luis Fonseca Fonseca, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica, was honored with the Youth for Human Rights International Award at the group’s 20th Anniversary Global Online Conference. The award was “in recognition of his dedication to the cause of human rights and his leadership in establishing the study of human rights as an integral part of the education system of Costa Rica.”

 

In 2018 Youth for Human Rights Costa Rica executives urged Fonseca to introduce legislation to promote teaching the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in the school system of the country. Fonseca embraced the initiative and on August 25, 2021, the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica passed into law a bill mandating human rights education in schools throughout the country.

“We believe that we have made a great contribution to the Costa Rican education system,” said Fonseca. “Youth for Human Rights International took the initiative. Now young students will know which rights are theirs simply because they are human beings. I congratulate Youth for Human Rights for its 20th Anniversary. I am grateful that you thought of me to promote this bill, which has come to fruition.”

The Youth for Human Rights 20th Anniversary Global Virtual Conference was attended by over 1,600 human rights proponents from 97 nations. It included a panel of renowned human rights advocates, including Superintendent (Ret.) Ricky Veerappan from the York Regional Police Community Service Division of Ontario, Canada; Rabbi Michael Shevack, Councilor-General of the World Cultural Organization; Laura Guercio, President of Legal Aid Worldwide; and Fabio Amicarelli, Humanitarian Programs Director of the Church of Scientology International.

Over the past 20 years, Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) has grown to a worldwide movement of 150 groups, clubs and chapters; partnering with 1,500 organizations and government agencies across 92 nations; teaching human rights to 1.7 million youth with its educational materials, reaching over 700 million people; and leaving its mark at every level of society. YHRI acknowledges all its outstanding volunteers, human rights advocates and partners  whose purpose is to make the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights a reality through human rights education. YHRI gives special thanks to its main sponsor, the Church of Scientology.