Part II: Preventing torture: NHRIs in action recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training Article1 Everyone has the right to know, seek and receive information about all human rights and fundamental freedoms and should have access to human rights education and training. Article 9 States should promote the establishment, development and strengthening of effective and independent national human rights institutions, in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (“the Paris Principles”), recognizing that national human rights institutions can play an important role, including, where necessary, a coordinating role, in promoting human rights education and training by, inter alia, raising awareness and mobilizing relevant public and private actors. Introduction Promoting community awareness of, and respect for, human rights is one of the core functions of NHRIs. This makes them ideally placed to initiate public education programmes that promote awareness of the prohibition of torture and build community support for the prevention of torture. Public education programmes and awareness-raising campaigns are important because they can influence stakeholders and decision makers and contribute to community-wide attitudinal change. Human rights education not only imparts knowledge, but fosters skills, attitudes, and behaviour so people can exercise, uphold and defend rights in their daily lives.118 Human rights education is a lifelong process, involving many forms of learning in a range of settings: formal, informal and non-formal. The UN Declaration on Human Rights Education explicitly recognises the role of human rights education in “the prevention of human rights violations and abuses” by empowering people to “contribute to a culture of human rights”.119 118 Plan of Action for the fourth phase (2020-2024) of the World Programme for Human Rights Education – Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, A/HRC/42/23 (26 July 2019), adopted by the Human Rights Council in resolution 42/7, World Programme for Human Rights Education: adoption of the plan of action for the fourth phase (26 September 2019), section I.A.5. 119 United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training (2011), Article 2. 123