Graphic: Street scenes at night in Delhi
APF members in South Asia will soon begin a blended learning course that will provide them with tools to monitor economic, social and cultural rights.
Asia Pacific ForumNational human rights institutions (NHRIs) in South Asia will shortly begin a blended learning course that will provide tools and strategies to monitor economic, social and cultural rights in their countries.
With governments across the region committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), NHRIs can play a pivotal role to ensure that human rights principles underpin these efforts.
This also means holding governments to account when their development plans or socio-economic policies cause, or fail to address, inequalities and human rights violations.
For example, NHRIs can monitor how policies on access to health services, education, adequate housing and sanitation, to name a few, impact on different communities in different ways.
"The work of NHRIs is all about ensuring that people can live with dignity," said APF Regional Training Manager Kate Turner-Mann.
"This course will provide our members with tools to monitor the impact of government policies and development plans and, where needed, advocate for changes that promote dignity and equality for vulnerable groups."
Graphic: A Commission staff member talks with women and girls in a remote village in Nepal
The APF will deliver the course in partnership with the Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR).
Staff members from APF members in South Asia will take part in the course, which will include six weeks of discussions and activities (September-October 2018) in the APF Community on the FUSE learning platform.
As part of the course, participants will design a monitoring project and then select the most appropriate tools and techniques to measure the relevant human rights standards.
After successfully completing the online course, participants will meet together for a four-day workshop in Kathmandu (12-15 November 2018), which will be hosted by the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal.
"Collaboration and peer learning is a central part of this course," Ms Turner-Mann said.
"Our goal to build an active community of human rights leaders who will continue to share their experiences and support one another in this important work."
Date: 24 August 2018
