CALL FOR APPLICATIONS Distance education course "THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM" (February 23-May 18, 2005) Dear Colleagues, HREA is calling for applications for a new HREA distance learning course: "The United Nations Human Rights System". The course will be offered from February-May 2005. Course instructor is Dr. Gerd Oberleitner. Please note that the registration deadline for this course is December 15, 2004. Best wishes, Frank Elbers Distance Learning Programme, HREA http://www.hrea.org/courses ---------------------------------- HREA Distance Learning Course 10E05: THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM February 23-May 18, 2005 Instructor: Gerd Oberleitner This will be the first-ever "real-time" distance learning course on the United Nations (UN) human rights system. The aim of the course is to provide information on the UN human rights system by looking at the work and outcome of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The course is scheduled parallel to the 61st session of the Commission in March-April 2005. By making extensive use of the Commission's website -- which contains legal documents, press releases, and audio and video files on the session, and is updated daily -- course participants will be able to learn about the UN's human rights activities as they present themselves to the world: in real-time, with immediate access to the original material, live and uncut, and with all the dramatic twists and turns a session of the Commission offers. The course will expose students to the real world of human rights in the making and offer them a glimpse into the world of human rights diplomacy on the highest possible level. An experienced course instructor will guide the participants through the Commission's session so as to ensure a learning experience on a high academic level. The course will provide a brief introduction to the UN human rights system, the core UN human rights standards and supervisory machineries, the charter- and treaty-based system of human rights protection, the role of the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Subcommission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, ECOSOC, General Assembly and Security Council. Special focus will be put on the history, mandate and composition of the Commission, its legal and political characteristics, and the role of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This will enable students to follow the deliberations of the Commission and understand the events as they unfold. Relevant on-line teaching material to this end will be provided. During the six weeks of the Commission's session, participants will be asked to follow the meetings of the Commission, focus on specific issues, read the relevant materials as they appear on the website and as recommended by the course facilitator (press releases, reports of Special Rapporteurs, resolutions, statements by dignitaries, etc.), analyse the performance of the actors and stakeholders in the session, evaluate the voting procedure, and form their own opinion on the work of the Commission. The course is intended to provide participants with the necessary skills to understand in-depth how multi-lateral human rights bodies function in their manifold capacity as law-making institutions, fora for discussions and reflection, and adjucators of states' human rights performance. Participants will learn how law, policy and diplomacy come together and interact in the field of human rights. The course facilitator will provide information in form of on-line material and "mini-lectures" in the first three weeks of the course preceding the Commission's session. He will guide participants through the session, recommend readings and will comment on the events. During the course NGO-staff, staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and staff of diplomatic missions will be available to participants in Q&A sessions or Internet-chats. Application deadline: December 15, 2004 A more detailed course description, course outline, information about the course instructor and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/10E.html ----- ABOUT HREA's DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAMME HREA's Distance Learning Programme (DLP) was initiated in 2000 in response to an unaddressed need for the continuing education of human rights professionals and practitioners. The programme builds on HREA's extensive experience in both the training of professionals (advocates, educators, development workers) and the use of the new information technologies to provide resources and to network human rights advocates and educators. By offering short, practical yet specialised courses via distance learning barriers that prevent many practitioners from participating in continuing education -- such as a lack of time and/or lack of funds to participate in regional or national workshops/trainings -- can be overcome. HREA annually organises distance learning courses on human rights monitoring; research & evaluation in the NGO sector; project development and management; use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for human rights work; rights-based programming; and human rights advocacy (in English, Arabic and Russian). For more information about the DLP, please visit: http://www.hrea.org/DLP/ ABOUT HREA 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. HREA works in partnership with education agencies, NGOs, governments and inter-governmental organisations to implement training programmes for NGO staff, jurists, teachers, and other professionals involved in human rights work. Current and past partners include, inter alia, Amnesty International, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Council of Europe, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HURIDOCS, the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIDH), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Open Society Institute and UNESCO. HREA is registered as a non-profit organisation in the Netherlands and the USA. More information on HREA can be found at: http://www.hrea.org ======== North American Human Rights Education listserv ======== Send mail intended for the list to <hr-education-na@hrea.org>. Archives of the list can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-education-na/markup/maillist.php If you have problems (un)subscribing, contact <owner-hr-education-na@hrea.org>. **You are welcome to reprint, copy, archive, quote or re-post this item, but please retain the original and listserv source.
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