Geneva (Switzerland), 4th November 2024

Context
The UPR (Universal Periodic Review) is a human rights protection mechanism of the Human Rights Council that reviews each country every 4.5 years. When a country A is under review, other countries make recommendations about how the human rights situation in country A should improve. Civil society cannot make recommendations, but can persuade the recommending countries to make recommendations in line with the NGO concern. This is what OIDEL successfully did for UPR Norway.

Oidel’s Involvement In UPR Norway
At the end of 2023, OIDEL member KFF (Kristne Friskolers Forbund), the largest network of non-governmental schools in Norway, informed us about a new provision in Norway’s Independent Schools Act that gives municipalities a de facto veto-right on the establishment and enlargement of non-governmental schools. This new provision impedes educational pluralism in Norway. Therefore, KFF and OIDEL, in consultation with other NGOs, submitted a report on the situation to the Human Rights Council. At the end of August 2024, OIDEL received KFF’s secretary-general, Audun Raen in Geneva and organized meetings with him and several Permanent Missions, including Thailand and the Netherlands. In those meetings, OIDEL and KFF presented the Norway case to the different countries and provided them with recommendations to submit to Norway.

On the 4th of November, Norway was being reviewed and both the Netherlands and Thailand submitted OIDEL recommendation to the Human Rights Council. This is a great success for us and freedom of education in Norway!

Recommendations And Next Steps
The Netherlands specifically asked Norway to change the Independent Schools Act and to remove the municipalities’ veto-right. Thailand, in more general terms, asked for the strengthening of equitable quality education for all. Norway has now several months to consider the recommendations received. In March 2024 they will inform which recommendations they will accept and which ones they will reject. In the meanwhile, KFF will have meetings with the Norwegian ministry of education and OIDEL will prepare an intervention for the UPR adoptions during the next session of the Human Rights Council.

In Summary
In collaboration with KFF, OIDEL has succeeded in bringing the voice of the local non-governmental schools in Norway to the international scene by persuading the Netherland and Thailand to make UPR recommendations for the protection of educational pluralism in Norway. These recommendations now serve as a powerful tool for advocating changes to the Independent Schools Act and safeguarding educational freedom. This is a great success and we hope it serves a good example to follow in future UPRs.