Objectives

Against this background the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe will host a human rights training for people of African descent from 26 – 28 November 2018, which will bring together persons of African descent from countries in Europe who are active in countering racism and racial discrimination at the national level. The training has the objective to increase the knowledge of participants about the functioning of the international human rights system as well as enabling them to make use of its instruments and mechanisms for defending the human rights of people of African descent. Furthermore, the training will provide participants with relevant skills to promote the implementation of the International Decade for people of African descent in their respective countries.

In accordance with the Programme of Activities for the Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent, this training especially targets women, young men as well as persons with the experience of intersecting and multiple forms of discrimination. Further, the training aims to contribute to the capacity building of grass-root activists and enable their participation in the regional and international human rights context.

Participants

Through their participation in this training, participants will:

Increase their knowledge of the international human rights system, including instruments and mechanisms with a particular relevance for people of African descent;

Learn how to promote the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent in their respective countries;

Deepen their understanding of the interaction between international, regional and national frameworks on fighting racism and racial discrimination;

Familiarize themselves with the work of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in general, and activities of the UN Human Rights Regional Office (ROE) in particular;

Improve their advocacy and communication skills;

Engage with other human rights advocates of African descent and share good practices.

Requirements for application

Candidates for the training must be individuals of African descent, living in a EU Member State;

Candidates must demonstrate their engagement for the promotion of the rights of people of African descent through a short note of motivation (max 3,000 characters)

Candidates should have sufficient command of the English language;

Candidates must submit a complete application form;

Candidates should be willing to serve as multipliers in their respective countries and share the knowledge gained during the training with their communities;

Candidates are expected to attend the full duration of the programme and participate actively.

Selection

Candidates will be selected based on their submitted applications. The selection will take into consideration sub-regional and gender balance, as well as the human rights situation of people of African descent in the respective countries.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Format of the training

The training has an interactive format, including presentations, discussions and working sessions. All training sessions will be facilitated by trainers from the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe.

Travel costs and per diem will be covered by the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Europe for selected candidates who reside outside Belgium.