Human Rights Education Associates

HREA facilitates training sessions at UNICEF headquarters

From 22-24 September, 25 staff members from various UNICEF divisions participated in a hands-on workshop on the human rights-based approach to programming. HREA’s Frank Elbers facilitated sessions on learning support for implementing human rights-based programming and on monitoring & evaluation.

A human rights-based approach, often abbreviated as HRBA, is a conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights standards and operationally directed to promoting and protecting human rights. Essentially, a human rights-based approach integrates the norms, standards and principles of the international human rights system into the plans, policies and processes of programme development.

During the three-day workshop, UNICEF staff working in child protection, emergencies, health, and water & sanitation used case studies to apply the HRBA framework to situation analysis, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Since 1998, UNICEF has been on the forefront in integrating human rights into its operations, yet this was the first such training offered to staff at UNICEF headquarters.

In the coming months, HREA will assist with the revision of learning and training materials on the implementation of the human rights-based approach in UNICEF programming.