Human Rights, the International protection and The Civil Society Part /I/
In the light of risks that sweeping the Orient and its entities, and human dignity along with the risks of targeting its right to exist. so it has become more necessary than ever to build a civic and human rights’ culture that depends on the most important achievements of human being as reference to protect the human being and helping in growing-up a generation who is able to defend its own rights and freedoms, in addition to defend its society’s right to live away from the authoritarian oppression and the forms of extreme savagery.
In this context, and in order to build a cadre who is inspired by the best of humanitarian culture, and the International Bill of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law for the defence of their achievements and human dignity, the Scandinavian Institute for Human Rights, SIHR, organized a series of training courses in accordance with the Institute’s fundamental work-style courses which commensurate with the needs of participants.
The first training session (Part I) took place from 14 to 18 August 2014, and addressed: Human Rights – Humanitarian law – Civil society. The training was overseen by a group of trained professionals in this field like Dr. Mohammad Amin Medani (law professor and founder of the Arab programme at Rene Cassin Institute in Strasbourg), Professor Antoine Lahham (United Nations), Dr. Haytham Manna (Head of the Scandinavian Institute), Professor Nada Doumani (Red Cross), Mr. Ronald Ofteringer (Red Cross), Dr. Walid al-Bunni (writer and researcher). A group of field staff from Syria, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Germany, France, Britain and Belgium have participated in this session, in purpose of taking an advantage of this session. The number of the attendants reached 30 participants, including nine females. The programme over the next three days has addressed the following topics:
Day one:
-Rights and citizenship in history and culture
-Basic concepts of human rights (what is the meaning of the international human rights law)
-The rights of people in situations of armed conflict
-Reading in the international humanitarian law (the International Committee of the International Cross as a sample)
Day two:
-The international system and the regional systems
– The European human rights system
-The International readings and the special readings of Rights and Freedoms
-Human Rights between internationality and cultural particularities
-Civil society and the rights of persons and peoples in civil resistance
-Terrorism and Human Rights
Day three:
-Civil society and human rights during armed conflicts
– Analytical testimonies from the Syrian situation
-Regional and international intervention
-Civil society and media campaigns
The overall atmosphere of the session was positive and interactive with the course contains. Commitment was very good in addition to full presence. Quality and responsiveness, between trainers and trainees, were main characteristics of this session in terms of the debate and to respond to questions. it was noted thirst and desire among participants to learn more of the basics of threads that have been selected. According to the course assessment form, which was distributed to the participants in the last day, we noted almost a consensus on the expertise and efficiency of trainers, good organising and management, and the comfortable atmosphere along with the interactive method between trainees and trainers, as well as the quality of the selected topics. Many participants added several substantive proposals which will be studied carefully to benefit from it in the next parts of the courses (summary below).
At the end of the session, 17-08-2014, SIHR handed the Certificate of Completion, of the first session, to the 28 participants. According to the assessment form, there was consensus on the follows:
1. Good organising and discipline, punctuality and the quality of training environment
2. Clarity of the training programme objectives
3. Highly experienced trainers
4. The spirit of love and good relationship between trainers and trainees
5. Simplicity in discussion the threads
Suggestions provided by the participants:
– Practical activities should be provided during the course
– Send copies of courses’ subject before the session being held.
– Intensification of lectures about human rights in general and the Arab countries in particular.
– Support the lectures’ ideas by offering practical examples.
– The necessity to avoid confusion between the political issues and human rights.
– The necessity to Q/A just after the end of the lecture in favour of avoiding dispersion.
– The need for assessment form of each trainer separately.
– The need to mention references during the lecture for further reading.
– The need to provide videos or short films regarding the subject of the lecture.
Participants will stay in touch with each other via e-mail, private closed online workshop and via SIHR website, all in favour of responding to their questions and for enhancing their knowledge, in addition to arrange everything regarding the programme of the upcoming session.
SIHR will organize the second session in December- 12-2014.
