Workshop on Human Rights
From COVID-19 to climate change, domestic violence to authoritarian regimes, and mass crimes against populations, human rights are essential tools for action and understanding that every political and social actor should be equipped with. While human rights are certainly not a magic wand that can alter reality through mere invocation, they are far more than just words in books. A dimension often forgotten about human rights is that they also serve as instruments of checks and balances and are key elements of the rule of law and democracy. They have the potential to prevent arbitrariness and the unconstrained exercise of power, thereby improving transparency and the quality of decision-making. This Workshop aims to introduce participants to key human rights concepts and mechanisms, primarily from the United Nations’ perspective, and equip them with practical knowledge to make human rights a reality and bring about positive social change.
At the end of the workshop, participants should be able to:
- Explain historical development from Human Rights concept to Human Rights Law;
- Name the core international human rights treaties and the Treaty Bodies and recognize the differences with the other UN human rights mechanisms;
- Describe the functions of the Treaty Bodies, in particular the reporting process, individual complaints, inquiries and general comments/recommendations and identify the stakeholders involved in each of them;
- Explain the benefits of the Treaty bodies’ functions from the perspective of each stakeholder.
June 11, 2024
9:00 – 10:45: From the Universal Declaration on Human Rights to the UN Human Rights Treaties: What rights are protected today?
15 mns break
11:00 – 12:30: From the UN Human Rights treaties to the creation of the OHCHR – how does the UN promote and protect human rights today?
75 mns Lunch break
13:45 - 15:15: UN political promotion and protection of human rights: introduction to the Human Rights Council
15 mns break
15:30 – 17: 00: Making practical use of the Human Rights Council mechanisms: opportunities and challenges
June 12, 2024
9:00 – 10:45: UN legal and expert promotion and protection of human rights: introduction to the UN treaty bodies
15 mns break
11:00 – 12:30: Making practical use of the UN treaty bodies: opportunities and challenges
75 mns Lunch break
13:45 - 15:15: Real life scenarii: practical and guided exercise on human rights (group’ study)
15 mns break
15:30 – 17: 00:Outcome briefing on the exercise and conclusion on the future of human rights’ protection
The course is designed to be interactive and participatory, including various pedagogical tools to enable the participants to function effectively and efficiently in a multilateral environment. The course will be built on four pedagogical pillars: concept learning (lectures and presentations), role-playing (group exercises), experience sharing (roundtable discussions), and exposure to real-world problems and policy choices delegates are confronted with.
This course is primarily open to:
- Members of Permanent Missions accredited to the United Nations Office in Geneva;
- Delegates of Ministries of Foreign Affairs and other government officials;
- Representatives of international, intergovernmental, and non-governmental organizations and Diplomatic academies;
- Professionals from the private sector.
Insurance Waiver:
By applying to this workshop, all participants confirm that they are aware that the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) does not insure participants for this course. All participants are advised to arrange at their own expense insurance against sickness, accident, permanent or temporary disability, death and third party risk for the period of the meeting including travel time.
Certificate:
Participants who have attended all the sessions will receive a certificate of participation.
Registration:
To complete your registration, please write an email to diplomacy [at] unitar.org (info[dot]ilp[at]unitar[dot]org) with your CV and a copy of your passport.
Note: Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis, and registration will be closed once we have reached the maximum number of participants.