Dear Manuel,
Just a short message to let you know that we still have a few places left in the new thematic e-learning courses "Mainstreaming Human Rights" and "Terrorism, Human Rights and Human Security", which will both start next week. Instructor for both courses is Gerd Oberleitner.If you are interested in the course(s), please send me an e-mail and we will register you.
All the best,-Frank Frank ElbersDistance Learning Programme, HREA

http://www.hrea.org/courses/ -------------- HREA Distance Learning Course 1T08:

Mainstreaming Human Rights 31 March-15 June 2008 Instructor: Dr. Gerd Oberleitner

In 1997, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan (in his report "Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform") designated human rights as a "cross-cutting issue" for the whole United Nations (UN) system and asked for human rights to be "mainstreamed" into the programmes, policies and activities of all UN specialised agencies, programmes and funds. This proved to be a system-wide and ongoing challenge for the UN system, the results of which are both potentially far-reaching and little understood. A decade after the Secretary-General's call it is time to take stock of the achievements, failures and challenges of mainstreaming human rights in the UN. This course will critically trace and evaluate the results of the Secretary-General's proposal, compare the different approaches taken by members of the "UN family" and note their experiences. After all, their response to mainstreaming is uneven, with some embracing the idea, some struggling with it and others eschewing it altogether. Despite numerous pledges to mainstream human rights, the very term still lacks conceptual clarity, and misunderstandings and disagreements as to both the process and its desired outcome remain. The obstacles to successfully mainstream human rights are plentiful and its practical requirements demanding. What do we learn, ten years on, from the experiences made by UN specialised agencies, programmes and funds? Is mainstreaming a beneficial process worth pursing? What are the prerequisites for successfully mainstreaming human rights? How does mainstreaming change institutions; and does it also change our perception of human rights? These are some of the questions the course seeks to answer. A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=281 . --------- HREA Distance Learning Course 2T08: Terrorism, Human Rights and Human Security 31 March-15 June 2008 Instructor: Dr. Gerd Oberleitner While we are inundated with news on terrorism, we often lack the time to reflect, in an informed way, on the impact which both terrorism and counter-terrorism have on our rights and security. This thematic course aims at looking beyond the headlines and taking a step back from the information overload on terrorist threats and acts. It provides space for learning more about terrorism as a phenomenon and on different ways of responding to terrorism. By way of introduction, the course will trace the history, causes and manifestations of terrorism. We will consider the place of terrorism in human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law and discuss terrorism as a human rights violation. Based on recent studies and research, and making use of selected case studies, the course will assess and reflect on the changes the 'War on Terrorism' has brought about for human rights and human security. We will critically assess responses to terrorism - by international organisations, intelligence services and courts and trough diplomacy, criminal investigations, military action, etc. - from a human rights perspective. Detaining suspected terrorists, allowing for "robust" interrogation techniques, ordering extra-ordinary renditions, compiling 'terrorist lists', conducting 'targeted killings', restricting freedom of expression and access to information - how do such measures fare against human rights standards? Which measures overstep the boundaries of human rights and what, exactly, are the issues at stake? Finally, we will seek to draw some lessons and reflect on some broader - and contested - issues: what does 'security' mean after 9/11? How can human rights and security demands be reconciled, and is security itself a human right? Is there a need to re-conceptualise human rights so as to be more responsive to security concerns? A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=279 .