Deadline for application: 15 August 2016
Apply Here: https://www.tfaforms.com/412761
THE TRAINING
Universal recognition of human rights remains a major challenge in virtually all corners of the world. Civil society organizations play a crucial role in order to achieve a better level of protection of human rights for all. Human rights protection mechanisms are strategic tools used every day to help these organizations to achieve their goals.
By bringing together practitioners and activists from all over the world, this program aims at strengthening their capacity to access and utilize regional and international human rights procedures, standards and mechanisms. The confluence of rich, varying experiences from different protection mechanisms provides with a unique opportunity to share lessons learned, both in using international mechanisms and working for their improvement.
This year, being the Fourth training on protection mechanisms will focus on the issue of Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatments. Practitioners working on this issue are encouraged to apply.
Part of the training will be dedicated to discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the different mechanisms with the objective of identifying best practices and exchanging experiences between participants in order to improve ways in which civil society supports the development of new systems and strengthen existing ones.
The training is open to practitioners of human rights and people wishing to learn in practice the international systems, such as, the African, Asean, European, Inter-American, and/or the United Nations Systems.
TRAINERS
- International Human Rights Law & United Nations System
Claudio Grossman, Dean of the American University Washington College of Law
- European System
Jess Gavron, Legal Director for the Eureopean Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC)
- African System
Frans Viljoen, Director of the Centre for Human Rights at University of Pretoria, South Africa
- ASEAN System
Rafendi Djamin, Executive Director, Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Human Rights Resource Centre
- Inter-American System
Angelita Baeyens, Programs Director of RFK Partners for Human Rights and Adjunct Professor of law of Georgetown University Law Center.
SESSIONS
1. Introduction to international and regional human rights mechanisms
This session will explore basic Human Rights principles, applicable to all systems and talk about supranational institutions, including all regional systems and the UN.
2. The International system
Overview of the United Nations Human Rights System (charter based and treaty bodies) with special attention to the work of treaty bodies.
3. The International System in action
Presentation of cases, experiences and lessons learned.
4. The Inter-American System
Overview of the Inter-American Commission and Court with special attention to the case system
5. The Inter-American System in action
Presentation of a case: experiences and lessons learned
6. The ASEAN System
Overview of the ASEAN System
7. The Asean System in action
Review of the Terms of reference of the system
8. The African System
Overview of the African System with special attention to the case system
9. The African System in action
Presentation of a case, experiences and lessons learned
10. The European System
Overview of the European system with special attention to the case system
11. The European System in action
Presentation of a case, experiences and lessons learned
12. Digital security in practice
This course will have a special session on Digitial Security. It is no secret that the world we live in is getting smaller and smaller. Thanks in large part to social media and the Internet, we have become increasingly interconnected and the way we should be working using the internet, particularly practitioners on human rights, must work in a secure way. Therefore, the session on digital security will include ways to implement security in the daily work of human rights practitioners, particularly, those working as human rights defenders and in human rights organizations. There will be two sessions on how to use technology in a secure way for protecting our information together with the information of contacts of our partners.
13. Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatments and its relation with the Human Rights Protection Mechanisms
PARTICIPANTS PROFILE
- Human rights defenders
- Practitioners of Human Rights
- Practitioners of NGOs working with human rights protection mechanisms
- Students of international law, social sciences, human rights or students interested in acquiring practical use of the human rights protection mechanisms
COSTS AND REGISTRATION
The course fee is €630.
The fee covers:
- Tuition
- Course materials
- One lunch at the Robert F. Kennedy International House for Human Rights and the farewell dinner
- Certificate
The fee does not cover:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs
- Expenses during the week
* The Robert F. Kennedy Training Institute may be able to offer a limited number of scholarships for the course fee or accommodation. If you would like to obtain a scholarship, please indicate so in the form. In selecting recipients of the scholarships, the organizers will consider, among other criteria: country of origin, economic possibilities, as well as regional and gender balance.
DEADLINE TO APPLY
August 15, 2016 – 12:00 pm Italy time.
For further information you can contact the the Robert F. Kennedy Training institute at [email protected]
THE ORGANIZERS
The Robert F. Kennedy Training Institute provides trainings for human rights defenders to broaden human rights awareness in the wold. Inspired by Robert F. Kennedy’s belief that every individual can make a difference, the Training Institute was established to provide a secure space where human rights defenders, law students and/or practitioners of human rights law, can develop their skills, exchange information and share best practices through their experiences, at the same time the Robert F. Kennedy Training Institute is a hub to create new partnerships to confront pressing human rights crisis around the world.
American University Washington College of Law (AU-WCL) is renowned worldwide academic institution recognized for its expertise in human rights protection systems. AU-WCL and its Centre for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law gathers human rights students and activists every year, among other numerous human rights initiatives and programs.
