Human rights training can contribute greatly to the realization of human rights. If effectively designed and implemented, it empowers rights holders and reinforces the capacity of duty bearers for greater human rights protection. It enables professionals to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with human rights standards.
For many years the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has been involved in human rights training of adult audiences, including representatives of professional groups and civil society organizations; the staff of national human rights institutions; government officials; and staff members of the United Nations and of other intergovernmental organizations.
Based on this expanding training practice and lessons learned, at both headquarters and field level, as well as on related research, the Office has developed a comprehensive methodological approach to human rights training, which has been piloted and further refined through its training-of-trainers programme for OHCHR and other United Nations human rights staff.
This Manual presents the OHCHR methodology and provides practical guidance on all phases of the human rights training cycle: planning, designing, organizing and delivering training, and conducting follow-up activities. It aims primarily to professionalize and maximize the impact of the human rights training work carried out by OHCHR, and may prove useful to other relevant actors as well. The Manual should be used in conjunction with Evaluating Human Rights Training Activities: A Handbook for Human Rights Educators, jointly published by OHCHR and Equitas-International Centre for Human Rights Education, which focuses on infusing evaluation methods throughout the human rights training cycle.
Read/Download the Training Manual
