European and International Human Rights Standards in Disaster Settings

Application deadline

• 1st round: May 09th, 2023

• 2nd round: June 6th, 2023

Course description

Over the last years, the impact of natural and technological disasters has been constantly on the rise, both within and outside the EU. Looking at this phenomenon through a legal lens, it is widely acknowledged that disasters heavily impact on the rights of the affected communities. At the same time, humanitarian organizations insist that human rights principles should be integrated into disaster management policies in order to strengthen prevention, response, and recovery efforts, while increasing the protection of the affected individuals and communities.

However, the real impact of human rights standards on disaster prevention and response has been insufficiently explored so far. Efforts to disseminate human rights standards applicable in disaster settings have been limited, including in Europe.

The intensive course on European and International Human Rights Standards in Disaster Settings (EIHRSDS) aims at addressing these gaps. Its overall objectives are, on one hand, to increase the general awareness on the importance of Human Rights in disaster contexts, while on the other, to ensure that students, researchers and practitioners acquire the level of expertise in universal and European human rights standards needed to shape policies and activities aimed at reducing the risk of natural or human-made disasters, and to enable more effective and human rights-sensitive responses to these phenomena.

The course is offered under a Jean Monnet Module co-funded by the European Union.

For any additional information, please visit the website of the project: https://www.eihrsds.santannapisa.it/

Course target

The course is intended for graduate and post-graduate students, research fellows and other academics, practitioners working on disaster-management issues for national and international organizations, NGOs and other actors active in the area (e.g. IFRC, national Red Cross Societies, etc.).

Training objectives

•         Provide participants with a sound knowledge of the legal frameworks pertaining to disaster management activities and the role of human rights in the prevention and response to natural and technological disasters;

•         Raise awareness on the crucial role of human rights in disaster settings, and therefore favour a more human-rights sensitive approach to disaster management;

•         Engage participants in exchanges of ideas and experiences so as to foster academic and professional cooperation among all those involved.

Teaching methods

The teaching methodology will be characterized by a combination of frontal lecturing and more interactive training techniques (simulation exercises, case study solving, etc.).

Participants will have access to on-line resources ahead of the sessions, so as to favour their active participation during classes and improve the learning experience.

Course fee

Professionals working in the field of human rights and/or disaster management will be required to pay a fee of 250,00 Euro. PhD students will be required to pay a fee of 100,00 Euro. Other participants (graduate, students enrolled in a Master programme, etc.) will be required to pay a fee of 50,00 Euro.

Attendance certificate

Participants wanting to obtain 2 university credits (ECTS) will be allowed to do so, provided that they pass the course’s final exam.

Participants attending at least 80% of the classes will be awarded a certificate of attendance.