resumen en español: curso de capacitación sobre los Derechos económicos, sociales y culturales, organizado en Ginebra de 10 a 14 mayo de 2010. El curso es en inglés.
sommaire en français: cours de formation sur les Droits économiques, sociaux et culturelles, tenue en Genève du 10 au 14 mai 2010. Le cours sera tenu en anglais.
Training course on Monitoring Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Geneva, 10-14 May 2010 (conducted in English)
In recent years, monitoring economic, social and cultural rights has become the modality to mainstream the realization of these rights as equally important to that of civil and political rights and thus rightly acknowledge their status as integral part of human rights law. This five-day training course answers to the increasing need of organizations to acquire know-how and enhance their capacity and knowledge in order to effectively pursue the monitoring of economic, social and cultural rights.
Course Aim and Objectives
The course will provide staff from small and medium organisations with the know-how to get started in monitoring economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights), and the in-depth knowledge to enhance their ESC rights monitoring work.
At the end of the training, the participants will be:
- Familiar with the content of economic, social and cultural rights;
- Able to devise realistic strategies for monitoring ESC rights and documenting the violation/realisation of an ESC right of particular concern to them or their organization;
- Able to present findings effectively, and devise an advocacy strategy which makes use of the international human rights mechanisms.
Program
The course program will cover the following topics:
- History of ESC rights; Content and scope; Justiciability; Progressive realisation.
- Human rights monitoring; Using indicators and benchmarks to monitor progressive realization; monitoring government policy-making; documenting violations; budget monitoring.
- Making data talk: presenting findings in an engaging and appealing way; sourcing data.
- Defining an advocacy strategy; Overview of the UN human rights mechanisms relevant to ESC rights and how to interact with them, including the Treaty Bodies, Special Procedures and the Human Rights Council.
- Substantive case studies on: the right to food, the right to housing, the right to education; the right to health; the right to water, and other ESC rights.
- Discussions with experts, including UN Treaty Body members; visit to a session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Training methods
A dynamic combination of lectures with hands-on practical work on real country situations, facilitated by experts experienced in ESC rights work at both UN and grassroots level.
Who should apply?
This course aims to suit the needs of staff of human rights organisations, including NGOs, who want to start monitoring economic, social and cultural rights or enhance the work they are currently doing on monitoring and advocating for ESC rights. The professional groups targeted are: advocacy/human rights/legal officers, managers, researchers, documentalists.
Practical information
The third annual session of this five-day intensive training course will be held at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, from 10 to 14 May 2010. There will be a maximum of 25 participants accepted.
The course will be held in parallel with the May session of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which will also be held in Geneva. This will allow course participants to observe the Committee in session, to the extent time permits.
The course will be conducted in English.
Course Organizers
The course is hosted and organized by the Project on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (part of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the University of Geneva).
Certification
Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate of participation from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.
Applications
Applicants should complete the application form, and include a CV. All non-EU, non-Swiss applicants requiring a visa to enter Switzerland, or those seeking a scholarship, should send their application to escrtraining@adh-geneva.ch no later than 24 February 2010. For self-funded, EU/Swiss applicants, please submit your application before 15 March 2010 (applications submitted earlier will be preferred).
Fees
The course fee for this 5-day intensive program is 1500 Swiss Francs. The course fee of 1500 Swiss Francs includes: tuition costs, course materials, 5 lunches, and coffee breaks. The fee is payable once confirmation of participation has been issued.
Participants have to pay for their own travel to Geneva and accommodation in Geneva, as well as other expenses related to their stay (including a visa to enter Switzerland if needed). Practical advice will be given to assist this process, however the costs must be borne by each participant. If required, the organizers can provide a letter of invitation for your visa application and help with providing information about accommodation.
No fee waivers are possible, however a very limited number of scholarships may be made available by external funders. These are intended for participants from developing countries who are unable to exhaust their own organisation’s funding opportunities. In this sense we encourage the applicants to firstly look for sources of funding with their own organization, other foundations or embassies. For those who wish to apply for a scholarship, please complete the application form above and note your need for financial assistance on this form.
Contact information
E-mail: escrtraining@adh-geneva.ch
