© Kamla-Raj 2016 Int J Edu Sci, 13(1): 42-55 (2016) From Human Rights to Global Citizenship Education: Peace, Conflict and the Post-cold War Era Christine Monaghan 1 and Carol Anne Spreen 2 1 University of Virginia, USA 2 New York University, USA, 2 University of Johannesburg, South Africa E-mail: 1 <Cs4281@nyu.edu>, 2 <spreenca@gmail.com> KEYWORDS Citizenship. Civics Education. Cold War. Globilization. Human Rights Education ABSTRACT In the present paper, the researchers historicize the rise and growth of human rights education (HRE) in the post-Cold War era and importantly, periodize changes in the actors involved in the implementation of HRE, their approaches to HRE programming. The researchers detail three distinct periods that demonstrate the changing nature of warfare in the post-Cold War era: from sectarian, intra-state conflict to the global war on terror. The researchers’ narrative points towards possibilities for subsequent research that either asks new questions about HRE programming or explores old questions about HRE programming in new ways. Finally, the researchers explore the shift from HRE to Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and conclude by arguing for continuing and renewed emphasis and action on behalf of HRE, and examine a handful of key principles necessary for programs to realize the promise of human rights education as the new civics education for the new world order. INTRODUCTION Twenty years ago, following the World Con- ference on Human Rights held in Vienna on June 25, 1993 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the ten-year period beginning on Jan- uary 1, 1994 “The United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education” (UNDHRE) (United Nations 1993). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) soon drafted a Plan of Action for the UNDHRE and a host of UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGO’s), national education min- istries, and individuals throughout the world mobilized to implement the Plan through a series of on-going conferences, working groups, and initiatives. In accordance with those provisions, and for the purposes of the Decade, human rights education shall be defined as training, dissem- ination and information efforts aimed at the building of a universal culture of human rights through the imparting of knowledge and skills and the moulding of attitudes and directed to: (a) The strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; (b) The full development of the human per- sonality and the sense of its dignity; (c) The promotion of understanding, tol- erance, gender equality and friendship among all nations, indigenous peoples and racial, national, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups; (d) The enabling of all persons to partic- ipate effectively in a free society; (e) The furtherance of the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace (United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education 1994-2005; United Nations 1993: 3). Now two decades later, on September 26, 2012 UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon launched the five-year “Global Education First Initiative” (GEFI) that outlined key education priorities: putting every child in school, improv- ing the quality of learning, and fostering global citizenship via global citizenship education (GCE). UNESCO soon published a number of reports and a host of UN agencies, NGO’s, na- tional education ministries, and individuals throughout the world mobilized to implement GCE through a series of on-going conferences, working groups, and initiatives. Global citizenship education aims to em- power learners to engage and assume active roles both locally and globally to face and re- solve global challenges and ultimately to be- come proactive contributors to a more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure, and sus- tainable world. Core competencies: 1) knowl- edge and understanding of global issues and trends and knowledge of and respect for key universal values (for example, peace and hu- man rights, diversity, justice, democracy, car- ing, non-discrimination, tolerance); 2) cogni- tive skills for critical, creative, and innovative