Training: Understanding Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The Project on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights is now accepting applications for a new training course on Understanding Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The course will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 8-12 November 2010.

The course will provide participants with an enhanced understanding of economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights). The course programme will cover the following topics:

• History of ESC rights; Content and scope; Violations and justiciability; Monitoring progressive realisation;
• ESC rights mechanisms (international, regional, national);Remedies for violations of ESC rights (litigation, domestic courts, regional bodies, UN Special Procedures, Universal periodic review);
• Substantive cases 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 bodies members; visit to a session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The course will take place in parallel with the November session of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights in order to allow course participants to observe the Committee in session, to the extent time permits.

The course is designed for human rights professionals from small and medium-sized organisations (in particular NGOs and national human rights institutions), UN agencies or diplomatic missions who wish to include ESC rights in their activities. Applicants should complete the application form, and include a CV. Applications should be emailed to [email protected] no later than 25 September 2010. Application forms can be requested by emailing [email protected].

For more information on the course, please visit http://www.adh-geneve.ch or contact [email protected].