Title: Human and Minority Rights
Intro: The second annual cycle will be devoted to the protection and promotion of
human and minority rights, a core value that has been accepted and is reflected in
the legislation and institutions of all WB countries.
Text: Political leaders have mostly adopted the rhetoric of human rights and a more
sensitive language in public discourse. However, practice shows that these basic
principles still commonly fail to be upheld and translated into support for concrete
policy options. In areas ranging from gender equality to the rights of persons with
disabilities, these countries are taking significant reform steps, but the reforms often
remain surface-level. All too often daily politics takes over and immediate short-term
political gains are placed above the proclaimed highest values. As evidenced in
countries where Gay Pride Parades have been held or attempted, it is clear that the
broader political elite still has difficulty grasping the complexities of human rights and
lacks the knowledge necessary for truly investing in a continuous promotion of rights.
Without a deeper understanding of the meaning and significance of human rights on
the part of political leaders, the institutions set up to guard rights will continue to
face difficulties in functioning, while citizens will both feel the adverse effects of
partial protection and fail to recognise and punish the abuse of rights.
This yearly cycle is designed to get the participants acquainted with the broader
scope of human rights, the different and sometimes contesting interpretations of
rights, and the often quite complex mechanisms for ensuring they are upheld in all
domains of life.
Seminar 1: Human Rights in the 21 st Century
Preliminary topics: Constitutional guarantees and legal mechanisms for human
rights protection and anti-discrimination; European legacies of individual vs.
collective rights; Human rights in the age of global insecurity; Needs and
context of particularly vulnerable groups (LGBT rights, persons with disabilities,
refugees
and
IDPs);
Struggling
against
various
forms
of
discrimination;
Migration trends and integration policies; Role of the ECHR; Civil society as a
promoter and protector of human rights; Protection of human rights defenders
Seminar 2: Social and Economic Rights in the Western Balkans
Preliminary topics: Third generation rights – background; EU Social inclusion
policy; Poverty Reduction Strategies in the Balkans – What results?; Social
rights in times of economic crisis; Equal access to education; Post-socialist
reforms in social policy; The role of non-state actors in the provision of social
services; Access to housing
Seminar 3: National and Religious Minorities – Managing Diversity in Today’s
Western Balkans
Preliminary
topics:
Historical
and
theoretical
introduction
to
nationalism;
Institutional frameworks for the protection of national minorities in the region;
Position of the Roma and experiences of the Roma Inclusion Decade in
different countries; Linguistic rights; Minority education; Religious Diversity in
WB; European examples of differing approaches to minority rights protection
International Study Visit: Northern Ireland
Preliminary
efforts;
themes:
Post-conflict
Peace-building
on
the
reconciliation
local
level;
and
community
Managing
integration
religious
diversity;
Decentralised social policy provision; Non-state actors in service provision;
Gender equality
Seminar 4: Towards the Equal Participation of Women: Gender Equality in the
Region
Preliminary
movements;
Millennium
topics:
Gender
History
and
Development
of
feminist
development
Goals;
Equal
political
–
thought
Towards
participation
the
in
and
women’s
achievement
political
life
of
–
achievements and challenges in WB; Gender equality mechanisms in WB and
EU; Gender sensitive language; Equal access to the labour market; Combating
violence against women and domestic abuse; Gender budgeting