The Global Campus of Human Rights takes
great pleasure in presenting its inaugural
Annual Report, sharing our results and
achievements with partners, stakeholders and
the general public in this format for the first
time. This symbolic release coincides not only
with the first full year of activities following
the introduction of our statute in 2019 but
unprecedented worldwide challenges due
to COVID-19.
Thanks to the resilience of staff and governing
bodies in our Venice headquarters and
regional hubs in Sarajevo, Pretoria, Bangkok,
Yerevan, Buenos Aires and Beirut, our
special project in East Timor, and our partner
universities around the world, the Global
Campus adapted well. We achieved our main
goals for 2019/2020 with regional approaches,
interdisciplinary insights, innovative thinking,
cross-cultural exchanges and network
opportunities, adding almost 200 graduates
to the 4,000-plus worldwide alumni
community.
Aside from our seven hallmark regional
Master’s programmes, highlights included
exciting new projects to promote children’s
rights through education and research;
launching the Human Rights Preparedness
forum; and ongoing activities to build capacity
and raise awareness of human rights and
democracy around the world. We reached
more than 4,000 participants through open
access MOOCs; hundreds of state officials
and practitioners undertook our specialised
training courses; and we continued to offer
unique learning and exchange opportunities
fostering the relationship between human
rights and the arts.
This Annual Report invited contributions
by prominent figures from international
agencies, politics, philanthropy, and the arts,
all committed to the promotion and protection
of human rights. We are especially grateful for
the collaboration of Michelle Bachelet, Eamon
Gilmore, Jutta Urpilainen, Michael O’Flaherty,
Ole von Uexküll, Vandana Shiva, Julian Fifer
and Koen Vanmechelen.
None of these efforts would be possible
without European Union financial support,
our partnership with the Right Livelihood
Foundation and many other donors to our
headquarters and seven regional hubs.
What brings the Global Campus to life is the
dedication of the co-founding, co-ordinating
and partner universities, and staff in Venice
and around the world.
