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Children stand up for human rights

Fondation Eduki awarded a Human Rights Prize during the ceremony of the Eduki 2017/2018 competition

20 April 2018

Geneva, 20 April 2018 – More than 800 students attended the UN Sustainable Development Goals national competition awards ceremony at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, under the patronage of the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

This was yet another successful edition with nearly 1,500 participants, from primary to secondary, from nine different cantons across Switzerland. The theme of the Eduki 2017/2018 competition was "Why school? Towards Quality Education" and focused on Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) wished to reward the project that best fit the spirit of the Declaration, in particular the right to education enshrined in article 26.

The Human Rights Prize went to the board game "Once upon a time there was school. Board Game on Equal Opportunities in Access to Education" by Adélaïde Hemmer and Chloé Strahm, two primary students of the HPI Group (High Intellectual Potential) of Lossy, from the Canton of Fribourg. "This game is a fun and smart way to reflect on the difficulties that too many children face to go to school”, explains Laurent Sauveur, Chief of the External Outreach Service at OHCHR. Right after that, the 800 students stood up for human rights as a way to support the campaign of the 70th anniversary of the UDHR.

Fondation Eduki aims to promote education and awareness of young people to the work of international organizations. The Foundation's activities aim to support Switzerland's international vocation and help to create a lasting link between international organizations and young people through the organization of visits, meetings or ongoing training, help with the preparation of courses, making documentation available and informing on the professions of international cooperation, among others.

For more information, visit the Eduki website.


  • I will respect your rights regardless of who you are. I will uphold your rights even when I disagree with you
  • When anyone’s human rights are denied, everyone's rights are undermined, so I will stand up
  • I will raise my voice. I will take action. I will use my rights to stand up for your rights.

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