International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination: students of Kyiv school discussed tolerance learning story of Holocaust survivor Gerda Klein

21 March, 2008. Kyiv - On the 20^th of March a special lesson “Teaching tolerance” took place in Kyiv lyceum “Leader”. Twenty 10^th form students took part in the discussion on types of discrimination and ways to address them.

 The lesson was initiated and conducted by English language teacher Alexandra Rachova on the observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. During the discussion students Halyna Vasylenko, Anzhelika Kompaniets, Anton Pryshchepa, Dasha Halahan, Masha Milman and Anna Rishetnyak delivered presentations on types of racial discrimination including Jewish, Roma, African American communities. Following the life story of Gerda Klein, Lada Pitetska and Nastya Symenets talked to classmates about tolerance and diversity.

This lesson was developed using the toolkit "Teaching Tolerance" provided by the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation and the UN Department of Public Information.  

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

On this Day UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated in his message “The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination serves to spotlight our collectively responsibility to end racism. By acting on the ideals of the Universal Declaration, we can uplift not only those suffering from racial discrimination but humanity as a whole”.