9. Will the Minister outline the opportunities provided by the new national curriculum for the teaching of international understanding, co-operation and peace and human rights in schools? OQ56277

Thank you, David. The Curriculum for Wales’s fundamental purposes include learners becoming ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world. Our guidance is clear that embedding the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in learning and teaching is key to the vision for every school’s curriculum, so that learners can learn about, through and for human rights.   

Thank you, Minister, and I commend that priority. I wonder if you could also advise us whether the Welsh Government contributed to the UK Government's response to UNESCO's seventh consultation on education for international understanding? I realise this is very specific, so if you would be prepared to write to me with that information, and perhaps give some details of the response, because I think this is a key area given the new climate in the United Kingdom now that we've left the European Union, and the additional global demands of climate change and the pandemic make this a really important area for education. 

David, I couldn't agree with you more and I will indeed write to you.FootnoteLink As I said in my original answer, guidance for our new curriculum for schools includes a section on learning about human rights, so that's understanding human rights and the sources of those rights; learning through human rights, which is the development of values, attitudes and behaviours that reflect human rights values; and learning for human rights, and that's the motivation of social action and empowerment of active citizenship to advance respect and the rights for all. This approach was developed in collaboration with the office of the Children's Commissioner for Wales, and we work with a range of stakeholders to provide really inspiring and supportive curriculum material on specific subjects to be able to develop teachers to do this well.

Most recently, I was delighted to reference the work of Remembering Srebrenica Wales, who have worked with us to develop a new challenge for our Welsh Baccalaureate programme, and using the terrible tragedy and crime of Srebrenica as a vehicle for understanding and learning. And I'm very grateful for partner organisations such as those who are willing to work alongside us to provide these very valuable and necessary opportunities for children and young people. 

Information further to Plenary

Question 10 in the name of Neil McEvoy will not be asked, because he is not present at the meeting. Question 11, Huw Irranca-Davies. 

Question 10 [OQ56250] not asked.