University of Nottingham

Summer School ‘Protecting Human Rights through United Nations Mechanisms

Nottingham, 11-15 June 2012

The Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham organises its 2012 Summer School on ‘Protecting Human Rights through United Nations Mechanisms’.

The Blog Administrators wish to underline that this is probably one of the best, if not the best course in Europe on the issue of 'human rights at the UN level'.

Focus and aim

The focus throughout will be practical and applied: the Summer School will give participants an insider’s understanding of the mechanisms and will equip them with the tools to best use the UN system for the protection of human rights. The School will have sessions devoted to the human rights treaty bodies (the reporting and individual communications procedures), the Human Rights Council’s Universal Period Review Procedure, Special Procedures (UN human rights special rapporteurs, etc.), and the work of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and its field presences. The Summer School is a highly interactive event in which all participants will be encouraged to be fully involved.

Training methods

The training methods include presentations, Q and A, group exercises and role play. All participants receive an extensive electronic file of resource materials.

Target public

The Summer School is designed to benefit professionals in non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions, governments, international governmental organisations, field operations, and interested academics and students.

Lecturers

The Summer School is led by key experts in the field.

Programme

● Overview of the Treaty Body System

● The Strengthening Process of the Treaty Body System

● Human Rights Treaty Bodies: The Reporting Procedure

● The Treaty Bodies: Bringing Human Rights Home

● Procedural Innovations in CEDAW and Other Human Rights Treaty Bodies

● Human Rights Treaty Bodies: NGO perspectives, case study of Ireland at the Human Rights

Committee

● The Special Procedures System of the UN Human Rights Committee

● Case study: The Special Rapporteur on Torture

● Human Rights Treaty Bodies: The Individual Communications Procedure

● Human Rights Field Operations

● Ethics for Human Rights Work

● Perspectives from the field on human rights

● UN Commissions of Inquiry

● The UN Human Rights Council

● The UN Human Rights Council: Universal

● Periodic Review (UPR)

● NGOs at the Human Rights Council

● Human Rights at the Security Council

● Group work and group presentations

● Open topic panel discussion

Fee and registration

The course fee is £900, which includes tuition, lunches and refreshments, accommodation (bed and breakfast rate), and course materials. The course fee is £650 for participants who do not require accommodation. There is a non-refundable deposit of £200 payable upon registration. The remaining fee must be paid by 1 June 2012. Participants will need to meet their own travel costs and arrange visa and other UK entry requirements.

Deadline for registration

1 June 2012

For more information

Kobie Neita, Summer School administrator
0115 846 6309 or hrlcsummerschool@nottingham.ac.uk