The Guiding Principles on the human rights obligations of states to provide public education and to regulate private involvement in education (the Abidjan Principles) were adopted on 13 February 2019 by a team of education and human rights experts. They are a tool to assist States and other actors in navigating the evolving education context in accordance with human rights law.

This Commentary provides expert analysis of the Abidjan Principles. It details the legal foundation of the Principles and elaborates on the reasoning and interpretation of them. The Commentary will be published in phases over the course of 2023.

Ashina Mtsumi – Abidjan Principles Commentary – Introduction

Professor Ann Skelton and Dr Perekeme Mutu – Abidjan Principles Commentary – Principles 1, 4-7

Professor Sandra Fredman – Abidjan Principles Commentary – Principles 22-27

Dr Roman Zinigrad – Abidjan Principles Commentary – Principles 47-48

Professor Ann Skelton and Dr Perekeme Mutu – Abidjan Principles Commentary – Principles 91-97

Image description: A child sitting at a school desk holding a pen and paper. They are smiling. In the background and out-of-focus, there are two other children sitting at school desks. They are all wearing blue school uniform to match the blue schoolroom. Image credit: Ben White via Unsplash.