“Suppose we can encourage them to set a precedent?”
A group of course participants gather over a set of court documents, preparing for the moot court session that concludes a week of an intensive dive into the theoretical world of human rights. The moot course exercise aims to apply the material from the course in a practical exercise.
The room rings with the quiet buzz of arguments being re-considered and revised.
“All rise.”
A hush falls over the group as NCHR intern Mathilde Vargas Prazeres, bailiff of the day, opens the doors for the judges. The anticipation in the room shifts to awed excitement as the proceedings begin.
A cornerstone of the NCHR’s activities
The annual intensive course on human rights has been a cornerstone of the NCHR’s activities for over a decade.
Due to the pandemic, the course has had a digital format for the last two years. The NCHR was therefore delighted to welcome twenty participants from all over the world to Oslo again this year, to join us for a week of rigorous human rights training. Participants came from India, Indonesia, Nepal, Greece, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Vietnam, Lebanon, Philippines, Iraq, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tunisia, Uganda, Myanmar and Norway.
One of the unique aspects of the intensive course is that it brings people together from a variety of backgrounds, allowing them to build networks and learn from each other. Participants of the course often express that this - the opportunity to discuss with each other, share personal experiences and ways of interpretation, and to look at human rights issues from different angles – increases learning and engagement.
The 2022 programme
The course takes a multidisciplinary approach to the human rights field, and aims to incorporate a variety of topics and learning experiences. The participants are introduced to important subjects like civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, and business and human rights. A variety of distinguished lecturers and human rights professionals joined the course throughout the week, sharing their knowledge and experiences.
Concluding the lectures of the week, Special Advisor to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights defenders Ed O’Donovan and NCHR PhD Candidate Sandra Petersen, led the group in a discussion on the “ecosystem around human rights defenders.” The participants joined in with enthusiasm, seizing the opportunity to connect their learning from the week to their own experiences in the human rights field.
In addition to the lectures, the schedule included several field trips. The participants visited the 22 July Center for an interesting discussion on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in times of national crisis. Visits to the Nobel Peace Centre and the Norwegian National Human Rights institution also engaged the group, who found it interesting and valuable to hear directly from practitioners.
Looking towards the future
The NCHR thanks the participants for their engagement, and willingness to learn and share their experiences. Most participants seemed eager to bring their new experiences back to their work: ”I will use the knowledge from the course in designing new projects and include human rights perspective in the implementation of the development projects and sectoral assessments in my region”, one of them told us after the week.
Others were also enthusiastic:
“This course is a lifetime experience. I have learned a lot from the amazing professors we had. Such an eye-opening experience to hear from activists from all around the world about their work and backgrounds.”
“Intense and riveting course. Hardly time to catch one's breath. Excellent refresher in Human Rights. Full immersion in International Human Rights Law with top experts in the field.”
