The first element was exchange of opinion and views, with the general aim of teasing out the issues raised by the topics being studied. This was the purpose of the opening discussion in the seminar programme, and of three round tables, since the matters addressed were intended to encourage participants to think about a range of social, political, cultural, economic and other questions intrinsic to the school situation. Another aim of this element of the training was to introduce participants to the field of international law on human rights. Among the main subjects addressed were the terms and concepts, breadth and limitations of international and regional systems of protecting human rights.

The second element was devoted to applications in teaching, by means of workshops. The principal aim of this work was to enable participants to share teaching tools and practices supporting education about human rights and peace in formal and non-formal education. Another aim of this element was to encourage participants to contextualise such education within a critical approach that sees education about human rights and peace as part of a global process of democratic participation and intercultural transferability.

In the spirit of the above, the guidelines suggested to participants at the 13th seminar re-affirmed the values expressed in the Vienna Declaration (of 9 October 1993), which stresses, inter alia, that: "All our countries are committed to pluralist and parliamentary democracy, the indivisibility and universality of human rights, the rule of law and a common cultural heritage enriched by its diversity."

The educational approach adopted by the team responsible for the seminar was also a response to the appeal made by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in its Recommendation No. R (85) 7, on teaching and learning about human rights in schools, where it emphasises, particularly in article 5 of the Recommendation, the importance of training teachers to teach about human rights.