New human rights education guidelines for health workers and human rights activists

September 26, 2013

At a meeting in Warsaw on 25 September 2013, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented two new sets of guidelines on human rights education for health workers and for human rights activists. The guidelines were produced to promote effective human rights education and to support OSCE participating States in implementing their human dimension commitments in this area.

“Health workers who daily deal with safeguarding human rights, particularly, the right to health, often have very little or no access to human rights education,” said Snježana Bokulić, Head of ODIHR’s Human Rights Department.

The Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Health Workers were designed for policymakers and educators involved in the planning, delivery and evaluation of educational curricula for health workers. The guidelines emphasize the need for human rights education as an element of health workers’ training in medical law and medical ethics.  “Training and education is equally important for activists who play a leading role in promoting respect for human rights, in order to perform that task effectively,” Bokulić said. The Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Human Rights Activists are intended for human rights programme designers, trainers and activists. Both publications provide guidance on developing curricula, enhancing the teaching and learning experience, preparing trainers and evaluating the work done. Both are available online and in print.

Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Health Workers

Guidelines on Human Rights Education for Human Rights Activists