Street Law Featured in UNESCO Report on Education and Justice

Education helps people understand their rights, navigate legal systems, and participate in shaping fairer societies. That is a central message of Education and Justice: Learning to Build Just Societies, a new report from UNESCO and Namati that highlights Street Law as a prominent example of practical legal education.

Part of UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report series, the publication explores the connections between education and justice and makes a case for expanding access to legal education. Noting that practical legal education remains limited and uneven in school curricula, the report calls for stronger legal and human rights education, better support for teachers, and greater investment in community-based legal empowerment.

The report highlights Street Law’s approach to making legal education accessible and meaningful through practical lessons about rights and responsibilities, interactive teaching methods, and connections with the legal community. It cites evaluations of Street Law programs in the United States demonstrating increased student engagement and opportunities to consider different perspectives, as well as examples of Street Law’s work with partners in Bulgaria and Uzbekistan.

The report’s findings and recommendations reinforce principles that have guided Street Law’s work for more than 50 years: that legal education should be practical, engaging, and designed to equip people with the knowledge and skills to participate in their communities.

Street Law also contributed a statement of support for the report from Amy Wallace, Advisor, Law School Programs:

“Street Law welcomes UNESCO’s education and justice paper for its strong recognition of legal empowerment and community-based education as essential to advancing access to justice. The paper highlights how practical legal education strengthens civic participation, protects rights, and equips communities to engage confidently and effectively with justice systems.”

Read the full report: Education and Justice: Learning to Build Just Societies.