Romanian Institute for Human Rights

Annual Human Rights Conference

An annual event initiated in 1994, the “International University of Human Rights” was conceived as a reunion of specialists and experts aimed at renewing and perfecting human rights training programs. Over the years, among the participants in the courses were members of the Superior Council of Magistracy, judges, magistrates from the Constitutional Court and the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Courts of Appeal and the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice and other prosecutor’s offices, representatives of the academic environment, ministries and governmental and non-governmental organizations, human rights experts and specialists from the country and abroad.

Strongly anchored in the realities of the contemporary world, where human rights are facing new and new challenges, the Romanian Institute for Human Rights has permanently acted to promote and protect these rights, keeping pace with the guidelines and actions of the main advocates and promoters of human rights internationally and regionally: the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Union.

Based on these considerations and taking into account the latest international and regional developments in the area of human rights, RIHR considered in 2017 that it was time to reorganize this event to a higher level in the form of an annual conference where personalities from all spheres of social, economic, cultural and political life, specialists and experts in their fields of professional training, as well as human rights specialists were to be invited.

This highlighted the need to strengthen the institutional relations between public and non-governmental bodies that have attributions to promote and protect human rights and to create a generous dialogue framework to analyze the situation of these rights at national, regional and international level in order to find the most appropriate ways of action to overcome difficulties and promote and further defend fundamental rights and freedoms.

Taking into account the evolution of human rights and the objectives pursued, the existing requirements in terms of training, it was considered necessary to develop these programs throughout a calendar year by creating a favourable environment for dialogue, exchange of ideas, promotion of good practices, in the area of fundamental rights and freedoms.
It was also considered appropriate that the time of organizing the Annual Human Rights Conference be placed around the 10th of December, the International Human Rights Day, precisely to highlight the overwhelming importance that respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms has to achieve the goals of sustainable development, to ensure peace and prosperity in the world.

Editions

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2019

On the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights and 30 years since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Romanian Institute for Human Rights organized the Annual Conference on Human Rights, in partnership with the Commission for Human Rights, Cults and National Minorities of the Chamber of Deputies, the Commission for Human Rights, Equal Opportunities, Cults and Minorities of the Senate and the Organization Save the Children Romania.

The conference addressed the topic "Children's rights in the context of current challenges" and was held on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, at the Palace of Parliament, Nicolae Bălcescu Hall.

The Conference was divided in two parts: (1) Inter-institutional dialogue, cooperation, and the promotion and protection of children's rights, and (2) Examples of good practices.

The event brought together representatives of authorities, public institutions and non-governmental organizations with competences in the field of children's rights, representatives of the academia, students and pupils, aiming to promote cohesion and cooperation between decision-makers and civil society.

During the Conference the participants stressed the need to strengthen the collaboration between the actors involved in the field of promoting and protecting the rights of the child. At the same time, they underlined the importance of the conference theme, while highlighting the need to strengthen social solidarity in order to achieve a higher level of protection and promotion of children's rights, as well as the need to support the Romanian education system to improve its performance.

Romanian Save the Children Representatives underlined the need to ratify the third Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Moreover, participants talked about specific challenges faced by children with disabilities, and Roma children, and stressed the need to promote equality and nondiscrimination.

Models of good practice were presented in the second section of the Conference.

The head of the training department of the Romanian Institute for Human Rights highlighted the approach taken by the Institute through the collaboration with professionals from various fields and with the public.

Integrated approaches to education for the rights of the child, varying formal and non-formal education methods: identifying the training needs through direct beneficiaries, are some representative examples of good practices in the field of promoting the rights of children and of young people accomplished by the Romanian Institute for Human Rights.

Through integrated education approaches for the rights of the child the following were achieved: (1) the rights of the migrant children were promoted through world cafe events (organized in partnership with the Europe Direct Information Center with the participation of refugee and migrant children in Romania) and integrated within a more comprehensive course held for 3 Border Police Inspectorates (Timișoara, Giurgiu, Constanța), in collaboration with the General Anticorruption Directorate, the General Inspectorate for Immigration and the General Border Police Inspectorate; (2) accreditation of a 40-hour course for the promotion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, addressed to teachers, which will be held in 4 counties: Olt, Cluj, Ilfov, Bucharest; (3) organizing the anti-violence campaign, carried out in schools and supporting a 20-hour course, approved by the Ministry of Education, entitled Violent games and harmful practices.

The best practice on Varying formal and non-formal methods of education was implemented by the training sector of the Romanian Institute for Human Rights through the following types of events: information campaigns; interactive workshops, which use role-playing games, teamwork / in pairs, brainstorming, drawings and logos, debates; projects: motivational speaker, rights viewed through children's eyes (8 schools in 4 counties); Forum theater, for the right to vote, together with the Europe Direct Information Center; classic training and training sessions, with activities; World cafe type events; national traditional competitions, organized with the Ministry of Education; The Olympiad of Socio-Human Sciences for Democracy and Tolerance; the Altruism Olympics competition, in cooperation with ”Universitatea de Vest Timișoara”.

The third model of good practice - Identification of training needs through direct beneficiaries - consisted in creating partnerships with those directly responsible for protecting and enforcing the rights of the child (ministries, schools, inspectorates, universities, public administration, NGO`s, schools, parents associations, pupils' councils, public institutions), in order to identify, in a simple and direct manner, the needs of the beneficiaries and to develop an adapted and pragmatic content that specifically responds to these needs.

Other examples of good practices were also presented by representatives of the following authorities and bodies: Salvați Copiii programme section, representatives of the Child Advocate within the People's Advocate Institution, the Monitoring Council for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Association for Children and Adults with Autism, Child Protection Service within the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest, Nazarcea General Directorate for Children Assistance and Social Protection, Sector 1, National Agency against Trafficking in Human Beings.

https://www.agerpres.ro/stiri/2019/12/10/comunicat-de-presa-institutul-roman-pentru-drepturile-omului--417801

 

 2016

The 22nd edition of the International University of Human Rights was organized by the Romanian Institute for Human Rights in collaboration with the Romanian Association for the United Nations (ANUROM), the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance, and Association Clubul de la Cheia “Victor Dan Zlătescu”, with the participation of members of IACL, ELI, IDEF as well as representatives of the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Legislative Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Government’s General Secretariat and had the theme “Human rights: realities and prospects”.

The event was held in the context of the 50th anniversary of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

The plenary sessions, followed by debates, dealt with the following topics:

  • Human rights realities and prospects. 60th anniversary of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. 10th anniversary of the United Nations Human Rights Council
  • Right to education – a fundamental human right. Education – vector and driving force in the sustainable development process
  • Religious freedoms and public activity
  • Human rights in the United Nations system. Instruments and mechanisms for the protection of human rights
  • Human rights at regional European level. Instruments and mechanisms. The Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
  • The European Union and human rights. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
  • The participants also looked through the Fundamental Rights Report 2016 that had been presented at the 2016 Fundamental Rights Forum, organized by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, which summarizes and analyzes the major developments of the fundamental rights within the EU in the course of the year 2015, with proposals and recommendations in the following fields: equality and non-discrimination; racism, xenophobia and related intolerance; Roma integration; information society, privacy and data protection; rights of the child; access to justice including rights of crime victims;
  • Transparency in the national legislation and the international and the European regulations;
  • Education for all, a permanent, multidimensional process – from school education and professional training to building capacities, unrestricted communication and favouring the raising of public awareness;
  • Education in Romania. Rules, experience and trends in the education reform policies. Legal education and human rights education;
  • Codification in law: international law; human rights; civil law; criminal law; fiscal law; business law;
  • Human rights in the administration of justice activity: ethics and responsibility of judges; training of judges; justice and society; fair trial in a reasonable time period; independence of the judiciary;
  • Inclusive and qualitative education al all levels, from early childhood to primary, secondary, tertiary, technical and vocational education;
  • Human rights in Romania. New challenges to the field of human rights: migration, terrorism; right to happiness; business and human rights

The event also offered the opportunity for the organization of a book exhibition including a great variety of volumes published under the aegis of RIHR.

The 22nd edition of the International University of Human Rights, attended by experts, researchers, representatives of international organizations, representatives of governmental institutions, representatives of the university teaching staff, magistrates, candidates for Doctor’s and Master’s Degrees, was concluded with the evaluation of the courses followed by proposals and the handing of the diplomas and certificates.
 

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2015

The 21st edition of the International University of Human Rights on “the United Nations Organization and its 70th anniversary”, was organized by the Romanian Institute for Human Rights in collaboration with the Romanian Association for the United Nations, the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance and Association Clubul de la Cheia “Victor Dan Zlătescu”, with the participation of members of the IACL, ELI, IDEF, as well as the participation of representatives of the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Legislative Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Government’s Secretariat General, and was held in the context of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Organization, the 60th anniversary of Romania’s accession to UNO as well as the 70th anniversary of UNESCO – an scientific and cultural organization of the United Nations.

The sessions, both plenary and in sections, approached a rich thematic, including:

  • The United Nations Organization at its 70th anniversary;
  • Promotion and protection of human rights in the system of the United Nations Organization;
  • United Nations human rights instruments and mechanisms;
  • UNO’s Alliance of Civilizations Project;
  • The 60th anniversary of Romania’s accession to UNO;
  • The 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
  • Post-2015 developments at the level of the UNO and UNESCO;
  • Regional organizations, instruments and mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights in the framework of: the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the European Union;
  • The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union  as reflected in FRA’s Programme for 2013-2017;
  • The national system for the promotion and protection of human rights;
  • Protection and promotion of human rights in the Constitution of Romania;
  • Protection and promotion of human rights in the Bill on amending the Constitution of Romania;
  • Human rights comparative law, a theme devoted to the memory of the late French scholar Roland Drago, ex-member of the French Institute, ex-Secretary General of the International Academy of Comparative Law in Paris
  • Legal education and human rights education. Role of continuous education
  • New challenges to human rights

The participants in the debates pointed out the importance of the United Nations-European Union relationship, the activity of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism.

As usual, the 21st edition of the International University of Human Rights, attended by experts, researchers, representatives of international organizations, representatives of governmental institutions, representatives of the university teaching staff, magistrates, candidates for Doctor’s and Master’s Degrees, was concluded with the evaluation of the courses, followed by proposals and the handing of diplomas and certificates.
 

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2014

The 20th edition of the International University of Human Rights on “Developing new methods and means for the promotion and protection of human rights” was organized by the Romanian Institute for Human Rights in collaboration with the Romanian Association for the United Nations (ANUROM), the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Democracy, Peace and Tolerance and Association Clubul de la Cheia “Victor Dan Zlătescu”, with the participation of the International Academy of Comparative Law (IACL), the International Institute of Law of French Expression and Inspiration (IDEF), the European Law Institute (ELI), and representatives of the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Legislative Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Protection and Elderly, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of National Education and the National Agency of Public Servants, and was held in the context of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of Families and the International Day of Families.

The topics that were dealt with in the plenary sessions and the sections included:

  • Promotion and protection of human rights in the United Nations system;
  • The council of Europe and the reform process at the level of the European Court of Human Rights;
  • The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union as reflected in FRA’s Programme for 2013-2017;
  • The national system for the promotion and protection of human rights;
  • The future role of the Legislative Council in justice within the European Union;
  • Shaping the European Union’s future policies in the field of justice;
  • Theoretic aspects related to human rights in the Civil Code and the Civil Procedure Code;
  • The legal and the institutional framework for the protection of persons with disabilities;
  • Aspects related to the right of health protection;
  • Theoretic aspects related to human rights in the Civil Code and the Civil Procedure Code and in the jurisprudence of national courts and the European Court of Human Rights;
  • Contentious and non-contentious means for the protection and promotion of human rights;
  • Human rights education and legal education;
  • Documentation in the field of human rights.

The 20th edition of the International University of Human Rights, attended by experts, researchers, representatives of international organizations, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations, of the university teaching staff, magistrates, candidates for Doctor’s and a Master’s degrees, was concluded with the evaluation of the courses and proposals for the elaboration of new methods in the research and training activity in the field of human rights.
 

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