The European Wergeland Centre

Norway is in cooperation with the Council of Europe establishing a centre on education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. The Centre, which will begin its work Autumn 2008, will be called the Wergeland Centre. – In selecting the name it was natural to bring forward our great advocate for human rights, freedom and tolerance, says the Minister of Education and Research, Bård Vegar Solhjell. 

The Wergeland Centre shall function as a European resource centre on education for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. The Centre will build on and promote the work performed by the Council of Europe and Norway for intercultural understanding, human rights and democratic citizenship. – The main task of the Centre is to promote democratic culture and social belonging through its work with education. 

The Centre will carry out research and shall provide in-service training for teachers and teacher trainers. Furthermore, the Centre shall disseminate information, serve as a platform and create a network for relevant actors within the field. The working language of the Centre will be English. 

The target groups of the Centre are teachers, teacher trainers, multipliers, scientists, practioners, decision makers and other relevant actors. 

The Wergeland Centre shall be organized as an independent legal entity (“stiftelse”) according to Norwegian law. The Centre is for the first couple of years to be located at Oslo University College. Further on it is planned that the Centre will be located at the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities (HL-senteret) in Villa Grande at Bygdøy. 

The cooperation agreement between the Government of Norway and the Council of Europe (CoE) will be signed in Strasbourg 16 September 2008, by CoE Secretatry General Terry Davis and Norwegian ambassador Petter Wille. 

The post as Executive Director of the European Wergeland Centre was announced internationally in September and October 2008. The Executive Director has now been appointed. More information will follow early in 2009.