Belgium: Human Rights Defenders Academy 2015

HREA's Human Rights Defenders Academy is a training program for individuals working to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world through peaceful means. Human rights defenders are those individuals, groups and organs of society that promote and protect universally-recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms. They seek the promotion and protection of civil and political rights as well as the promotion, protection and attainment of economic, social and cultural rights. They advocate and mobilise by peaceful means – sometimes putting their own lives at risk – to defend the rights of others. Participants of the Academy have the opportunity to increase their monitoring and advocacy skills, further their understanding of the role and impact of EU foreign policies related to human rights defenders and how advocacy vis-à-vis the EU can positively influence human rights policies in their home countries, learn practical skills to ensure their own personal security and protection, and build networks and exchange knowledge and experience with other human rights defenders.

Programme overview and methodology

The Human Rights Defenders Academy (HRDA) consists of a series of intensive workshops on advocacy, monitoring and personal security and protection, meetings with Brussels-based resource persons and organisations, and site visits to European institutions.

The training is based on a participatory, active learning approach, and has an emphasis on peer-to-peer learning. Workshops are held from 09h00-14h30 during the day. In the late afternoons and evenings, participants have the opportunity to meet with resource persons and organisations, visit European Institutions, in Brussels learn about EU foreign policy, advocacy and funding opportunities to support human rights defenders.

Programme format

09h00- 14h30
Intensive workshops with HRDA trainers and resource persons at the mundo-b training centre
Day 1: Role of human rights defenders, access to information, freedom of assembly and expression, human rights standards and mechanisms
Day 2: Human rights advocacy, particularly aimed at EU institutions
Day 3: Human rights monitoring, fact-finding and reporting
Day 4: Personal security and protection, including module(s) on gender-specific risks
15h00- 18h00
Visits to EU institutions, including European Parliament, European Commission, and Brussels-based civil society organisations

Please note that this is a tentative schedule. A final agenda will be available closer to the date of the training and will reflect the specific needs and experiences of the participants.

Participant profile

The HRDA is open to staff members of human rights organizations as well as individuals who do not align with traditional human rights work, such as journalists, lawyers, democracy and political activists, trade unionists, or those in institutions upholding human rights, such as law enforcement, the judiciary, or civil service, including staff of national human rights institutions.

Registration

Tuition cost: US$ 545 (non-residential) early-bird rate; US$ 645 (non-residential) after 15 June 2015. Tuition includes the 4-day training program, lunches and coffee breaks, a training pack with hard copies of the training materials, access to the Human Rights Defenders Academy 2015 virtual learning space, and a course certificate upon successful completion of the program. There are a limited number of (partial) scholarships available through HREA's Scholarship Fund.

The Human Rights Defenders Academy 2015 is limited to 20 participants; participants are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis and payment is due at the time of registration. Registration and payment does not include accommodation. Participants are expected to arrange their own accommodation as well as their own travel insurance and visas (as relevant) for travel to Belgium.

For more information and to register, please visit: www.hrea.org/HRDA15