2025 Social Forum

In 2025, the Social Forum will take place on 30 and 31 October in Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations, Geneva. In accordance with resolution 56/12 of the Human Rights Council, it will focus on the contribution of education to the respect, promotion, protection and fulfilment of all human rights for all.

Registration

All participants are required to register for the Forum via the online registration platform, Indico (please click on link). A confirmation email with a digital ticket will be sent to your registered email address once your registration is approved. Registration is open from August 1^st to October 31^st, 2025.

Background

“Education is a fundamental human right. It has long held a special place in the hearts and minds of people across the world, and for good reason. Throughout history, it has been a source of personal dignity and empowerment and a driving force for the advancement of social, economic, political, and cultural development.” Antonio Guterres

Education is not only a fundamental human right in itself. It plays a transformative role in building just, inclusive, and sustainable societies, and is therefore essential to the realization of all other human rights.

A crisis in education is a crisis for all human rights; conversely, progress in education brings us closer to realizing human rights for all.

Building on the UN Secretary-General’s call^[1] for a fundamental transformation of education to meet the demands of our time, the 2025 Social Forum aims to explore how education is both a fundamental pillar and a catalytic driver to advance all the human rights for all, across different times and spaces, and throughout the whole life cycle.

Education empowers individuals to claim and exercise their civil rights by creating safe, inclusive, free, and non-discriminatory social environments, especially in the digital age. It fosters legal literacy and promotes access to justice. Education also plays a crucial role in upholding cultural rights by supporting pluralistic worldviews, inclusive historical narratives and indigenous knowledge systems – strengthening identity, belonging, and resilience, particularly in the context of the triple planetary crisis. Education likewise contributes to the enjoyment of social and economic rights. Through lifelong learning and training, it expands opportunities for decent work and gender equality. This, in turn, increases access to essential services such as health and housing, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable communities. Furthermore, education contributes to the realization of political rights by nurturing responsible citizens and promoting critical thinking, civic engagement, and democratic participation, especially among youth and underrepresented groups.

The respect, promotion, protection, and fulfilment of human rights for all requires individuals – beginning with children and youth – to understand and embrace their responsibilities within their communities. Human rights education is key to this goal. When grounded in human rights principles, education fosters equality, dignity, and sustainability. The 2025 Social Forum also seeks to highlight this role in building inclusive and rights-based societies.

The 2025 Social Forum invites reflection and innovative perspectives on the role and purpose of education in the realization of human rights, with a view to inform potential avenues for action by States, UN mechanisms, civil society, and other stakeholders.

Side events

Side events of the Social Forum will take place in Palais des Nations, on the two days of the Forum, from 09:00 to 10:00 and from 13:00 to 15:00. If your organization wishes to hold a side event, please send your proposal in the form of a concept note to ohchr-socialforum@un.org before August 15^th, 2025. The concept note must include the official name of the organizing entity, the theme, background, objectives of your event, and information about the speakers. (Due to limited space and time slots, only a limited number of side events can be accommodated.)

Background documents

A/HRC/RES/54/5 Ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child

A/HRC/RES/57/24 Education as a tool to prevent racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

A/HRC/53/27 Securing the right to education: advances and critical challenges – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Farida Shaheed (webpage)

Other annual thematic reports of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education (webpage)

UNESCO Right to education handbook

A/HRC/RES/54/7 World Program for Human Rights Education

A/HRC/RES/57/10 World Program for Human Rights Education: the plan of action for the fifth phase

A/HRC/50/25 Girls’ and young women’s activism – Report of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls (webpage)