Thirty-two representatives from seven Pacific countries have taken part in the APF's new online course Human Rights Education and Communications.

A total of 32 participants, including staff from existing NHRIs as well as government, state institution and community group representatives, took part in the four-week facilitated course from 19 April to 16 May.

Course participants included representatives from Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Held in the APF Community, the APF's newly-developed learning and collaboration platform, the course aims to improve participants' understanding of human rights education and communications principles.

Specifically, the course explores how NHRIs can meet their human rights education function using a range of human rights education methods, effective planning, and monitoring, evaluation and accountability techniques.

It also delves into how human rights practitioners can communicate effectively with NGO partners, journalists and the public, by identifying key audiences, sharing engaging stories, and running persuasive advocacy campaigns.

The course also seeks to help those working towards establishing NHRIs by bringing them together to talk about the unique context of communicating about human rights in the Pacific.

During the course, participants were able to connect with each other in a dedicated group within the APF Community, where they could also reach out to course facilitators for clarification on key concepts and share content on topics related to human rights education and communication.

Participants also took part in weekly live Q&A sessions with APF staff and facilitators, which allowed them to share their own experiences and good practice examples and discuss some of the unique challenges they face in implementing human rights education programs and communicating with their communities on human rights issues.

Plans for additional APF online courses on key thematic areas, including self-facilitated courses, are currently underway.