Global Campus of Human Rights. Annual Report 2020

Abstract

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.