Advanced Geneva Training Course in International Human Rights Law and Advocacy
By: Chris Michael
Date: Mar 27 08
advocacy, education, Law
- Tag
6 March 2008 - 28 March 2008
The Advanced Geneva Training Course (AGTC) is offered once a year at the time of the March session of the Council. The emphasis of the course is on interactive learning. It addresses the theoretical and practical aspects of international human rights law, the procedures and practices of the UN human rights mechanisms and the role of NGOs to improve implementation of human rights treaties and standards. The course is based on an experiential approach and will use adult education learning principles. The practical and interactive training will be facilitated by pedagogies such as role-plays, debates, group discussions and presentations by participants. This will be supplemented by informal learning through the attendance of meetings and seminars.
Participants also have the opportunity to engage and meet with relevant actors present in Geneva during the Council such as government delegations, academics, national, regional and international NGOs, independent experts, different national human rights institutions and UN officials.
In 2008, a particular focus will be placed on lobbying for the renewal and strengthening of special procedures, especially the UN Secretary General special representative on human rights defenders. In addition to providing participants with an introduction to the role and functioning of the UN system, the AGTC will also include sessions on lobbying and advocacy techniques.
By the end of the course participants will have broad knowledge and competencies in relation to:
* International human rights law and practice;
* the UN human rights system;
* the Human Rights Council;
* the Council Special Procedures, the Advisory Committee and the complaint procedure;
* the eight UN human rights treaties and their Treaty Monitoring Bodies
* the role and functions of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR);
* National human rights institutions;
* NGOs and the UN system;
* Regional human rights systems;
* the International Criminal Court;
* strategic advocacy and lobbying at the international level;
* the use of the network of contacts emanating from the course.
Level: professional
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Participants: Approximately 30 participants from around the world will attend the course. The intended beneficiaries of this course are participants who are expected to: have been actively involved for five or more years in a national or international human rights/development/humanitarian NGO or National Human Rights Institutions; have a basic knowledge of and experience in international human rights law and the regional and/or international human rights system; be working in an organization with a capacity to use national, regional and international human rights systems; be presently at least in a middle management position in the organization; be proficient in written and spoken English, as the course will be conducted in English; represent an organization that may wish to collaborate with ISHR in the future.
Tuition, fee, lodging: 8,000 CHF (including course costs, training material, accommodation, per-diems, health insurance, visa and airfare). The deadline for application is the 31 October 2007.
Contact Information:
Elise Magnenat
International Service for Human Rights
Rue de Varembé 1
P.O. Box 16
CH-1211 Geneva
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 919 71 25
E-mail: courses@ishr.ch
Web: http://www.ishr.ch
