ABOUT EVENT

Background

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its preamble recognises the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. Moreover, the strategic link between respecting human rights and the prevention of violent conflicts and building durable peace has been pointed out by the UN and regional human rights and security bodies, including the Council of Europe, EU and OSCE.

National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) have expressed their readiness to engage more in peacebuilding. At an ENNHRI meeting held on 11-12 June 2019 in Brussels, NHRIs and stakeholders agreed that European NHRIs should work more in the area of peacebuilding (including conflict resolution, reconciliation, conflict transformation and transitional justice). They recommended that ENNHRI conduct a meeting to further explore what such a role could mean in practical terms.

About the workshop

The objectives of the workshop are to:

• Establish links between human rights work and peacebuilding, and discuss practical implications for NHRIs (such as how their mandates are linked to peacebuilding);
• Discuss various models and possibilities for rebuilding trust and peace in the wake of conflicts, and how NHRIs can contribute to reconciliation and peace (including looking at existing human rights work as tools for peacebuilding);
• Present and discuss practices from Europe and outside that will inspire ENNHRI members to include peacebuilding in their work;
• Address challenges and consider opportunities for NHRI engagement in peacebuilding;
• Discuss the strategies and concrete approaches to be employed by NHRIs in contributing effectively to peacebuilding in their societies and across borders.

The workshop will bring together representatives of European NHRIs, civil society and intergovernmental organisations working in the area of human rights and peacebuilding, as well as NHRI colleagues from other parts of the world with experience in these fields.

The workshop is organised under ENNHRI’s Project on the role of NHRIs in situations of (post-) conflict.

Contact

For more information, please contact Valentina Purcel and Zoé Vautard from the ENNHRI Secretariat.

» Download the concept note and the agenda for the workshop
» Learn more about ENNHRI’s Project on the role of NHRIs in situations of (post-)conflict