HREA organises specialised human rights training via distance education for human rights defenders, NGO staff, development practitioners and humanitarian workers. It is still possible to register for courses offered in the fourth term (September-October) and fifth term (November-December) of this year. Register now! >>

"I have been denied my rights. But these rights are my birthright," says Premalatha, a school child in a village near Madurai in the Tamil Nadu region of southern India. She encounters caste and gender-based discrimination. Learn about Premalatha and the power of human rights education in our video A Path to Dignity. View >>

This e-learning course introduces staff members of international organisations, national agencies, and interested individuals to the international standards, organisational approaches, methods and tools of election observation and prepares them for assignments as short term and long term election observers. Register now! >>

Humanitarian workers working in the aftermath of conflict and natural disaster from South Sudan to Liberia to Haiti, researchers and educators, and advocates for women and children's human rights are among the participants of HREA's annual Advocacy Institute, which started today. Learn more >>

HREA just co-published a new manual on violence prevention in schools. "Adolescence is an ideal time to promote attitudes and behaviours that prevent interpersonal violence. Human Total is the first resource to blend life skills with human rights education" says HREA Founder and Senior Advisor, Felisa Tibbitts. More >>

"A lack of understanding of the laws of armed conflict is one of the main barriers to peacebuilding efforts", says Frank Elbers, HREA's Executive Director. "This grant will allow HREA to train media professionals to report on humanitarian law and hence inform citizens and others working on the prevention of conflict." Read further >>

HREA, in collaboration with INTRAC and the Jordan Civil Society Program, conducted a "bootcamp" for human rights trainers in Amman from 27-31 January 2013. Twenty trainers from NGOs and other civil society organisation addressed topics like theory of change, methodology, the human rights framework, curriculum development, and impact assessment. Read more >>

"Wherever somebody has done human rights education there is less angst when they are dealing with the community," explains Mmaskepe Sejoe, Human Rights Unit Manager. All 14,000 Victoria Police employees participate in human rights training that includes focus on community relations, respecting suspects' rights, and articulating values of respect and dignity. More >>

This rapid e-course gives an overview of the mechanisms, institutions and special courts that uphold international humanitarian law (IHL), like the Geneva Conventions and the International Criminal Court. It also examines the special legal protections afforded to certain groups, including children, refugees and women. Try it out: Short demo | Learn more >>

HREA offers short on-line professional development courses. They combine text with rich multimedia, including videos and podcasts. Learners pass assessments throughout. The courses currently available are: Humanity in War; Human Rights in Europe; Rights of Refugees and Displaced Persons; and Rights of the Child. You can try a short sample of any course before you enroll. Learn more >>

At the request of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the government, HREA is supporting the introduction of human rights education in secondary schools in Mauritius. Paul McAdams, Senior Programme Associate at HREA, visited Mauritius from 27 November-2 December to meet with officials of the Ministry of Education, teacher trainers and teachers. More >>

The French version of Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice is now available. The Compendium collects 101 exemplary practices and was developed by HREA in cooperation with the publishers OSCE/ODIHR, Council of Europe, OHCHR and UNESCO. Learn more >>

The sharing and planning work of the recent conference "Building a Strategy for Human Rights Education in U.S. Schools" resulted in the development of a draft national strategy for HRE. Moreover, a decision was taken to initiate a new network for human rights education in the U.S., which is anticipated to be formally launched in 2012. Learn more >>

On 14 March 2011, the Council of Europe invited representatives of international institutions and civil society organisations to discuss strategies to assist member states with the national implementation of regional and international texts on citizenship and human rights education. HREA was one of the civil society organisations represented. Read >>

How does law offer protection in armed conflict? What are crimes against humanity? How can we prevent the use of child soldiers? This introduction to international humanitarian law examines how law can guide the conduct of hostilities and mitigate the consequences of war on civilians. The course outlines the political context and traces recent developments. Learn more >>

22 October 2009 @ 14h00 Geneva time (12h00 GMT/UTC)
You are invited to join a Web-based lecture and discussion on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the role of civil society with guest speaker Julie de Rivero, Geneva Advocacy Director of Human Rights Watch. Learn more >>

This course introduces participants to the international standards, organisational approaches, methods and tools of election observation. Participants shall understand the structure and reporting mechanisms of Election Observation Missions and exercise their observation and reporting skills. It is still possible to apply! Learn more >>

Over the past twenty years, national human rights institutions have emerged as essential partners in the tasks of protecting, monitoring and promoting human rights at the national and regional levels. This e-learning course is an introduction to the nature, functions and roles of these institutions. The application deadline is 1 December 2009. Learn more >>

Many migrants find themselves in vulnerable situations that restrict their basic liberties. This course explores international law pertaining to migrants, migrant workers and their families. It concentrates on the application of international legal regimes and the extent and limits of state sovereignty on migration issues. Application deadline is 1 December 2009. Learn more >>

The second issue of the Research in Human Rights Education Papers has been published. The paper is a study on the impact of a nationwide human rights education curriculum in the framework of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project in Germany. More >>

This distance learning course explores the multitude of international courts and tribunals set up to adjudicate on human rights since the post-World War II Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals. The course critically explores the role and value of such courts in promoting and protecting human rights. Application deadline is 1 December 2009.  Learn more >>

HREA conducted a two-day introductory training workshop on 29-30 June for staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat at its headquarters in London. Aim was to increase capacity in implementing a human rights-based approach in the Commonwealth's programming. Learn more >>

"Mainstreaming" integrates human rights into the broad range of UN activities, areas of international development and humanitarian action. This course critically evaluates the results of mainstreaming to-date and compares the uneven approaches taken by members of the "UN family", some embracing the idea and others avoiding it. Application deadline: 15 June 2009. Learn more>>

Government and civil society experts from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraine concluded a three-day meeting in Vilnius (Lithuania) that discussed improvement of human rights education for young people. HREA's Director Felisa Tibbitts facilitated several workshop sessions at the Vilnius meeting and delivered introductory remarks. Read more >>

HREA is pleased to announce the publication of its Educator's Guide for the second edition of Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know. The intention of the Educator's Guide is to make prominent writings of field journalists on war crimes accessible to youth, young adults, and future decision makers, as well as to inform the general public. The Guide was developed in cooperation with the Crimes of War Project (publisher of the second edition) and the United States Institute of Peace. Read further >>

Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports human rights learning; the training of activists and professionals; the development of educational materials and programming; and community-building through on-line technologies. More >>

This long-term training programme provided intensive training and support for young human rights defenders in the Arab World in order to increase advocacy and monitoring capacity and foster a regional network of human rights advocates. More >>

HREA offers a new thematic training course on "mainstreaming" human rights. In 1997, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for human rights to be "mainstreamed" into the programmes, policies and activities of all UN specialised agencies, programmes and funds. This course will critically trace and evaluate the results of mainstreaming efforts, compare the different approaches taken by members of the "UN family". Application deadline: 1 March 2008. Learn more >>

HREA will offer a new thematic training course: Genocide: What Role for International Law?. Genocide is not only a dark legacy of the past but a threat to the present and future of many societies. How best to respond to genocide, prevent its (re-)occurrence, provide redress for the victims and deal with the legacy of atrocities, and what is the role of international law in all this? This is the central question the course sets out to answer. The application deadline for this course has been extended until 15 August 2008. Learn more >>

HREA offers a new thematic training course on terrorism, human rights and human security. The course aims at looking beyond the headlines and taking a step back from the information overload on terrorist threats and acts. It provides space for learning more about terrorism as a phenomenon and on different ways of responding to terrorism. Application deadline: 1 March 2008. Apply now!

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turned sixty years on 10 December 2008. In addition to being the foundation of international human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set a mandate for human rights education. HREA created a slideshow to celebrate the importance of the UDHR. View slideshow >>

HREA and Amnesty have published a manual with lessons plans and projects to bring human rights to schools and communities. Service learning is a method whereby learners learn and develop through active participation in a service that is conducted in their communities. Read further >>

Felisa Tibbitts, Executive Director of HREA, was in Sudan in June to evaluate the effectiveness of training for the African Union peacekeeping forces. Over 4,000 civilian police, military observers and protection officers of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) have been trained in human rights and international humanitarian law, gender-based violence, protection of children and internally displaced persons in an effort to sensitive peacekeepers to the kinds of violations prevalent in Darfur. Felisa kept a blog while traveling to the various regions of Darfur. Read her blog >>

Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) is an international non-governmental organisation registered as a charity in the Netherlands and a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit in the United States and has consultative status with the United Nations.

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Upcoming courses and training workshops:

- Monitoring Women's Rights
- Safeguards against Torture and Ill-Treatment
- Election Observation
- Human Rights Litigation
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Gender and Humanitarian Action
- Migration and Asylum (Foundation Course)
- Children's Rights (Foundation Course)
- Utilisation des TIC et des médias sociaux
- Education in Emergencies
- Derecho Internacional Humanitario
- Forced Eviction and Housing Rights
- Género y Derechos Humanos (Curso básico)
- Human Rights and Alternative Dispute Resolution
- The United Nations Human Rights System