A/HRC/45/24
30.
Indonesia reported placing a special focus on civil servants performing human rights
training functions; through its human rights technical guidance programme, the Ministry of
Law and Human Rights provided coaching and training to officials of the Directorate
General of Human Rights and other relevant personnel to ensure that they had a good
understanding of human rights issues and materials, as well as public speaking skills. In
Switzerland, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs organizes, in partnership with the
Swiss Centre of Expertise in Human Rights, a biennial training course on human rights and
the human rights policy of Switzerland for employees of the federal Government which, in
2019, was attended by around 50 participants. A workshop on human rights and the human
rights policy of Switzerland has also been integrated into the training curriculum for future
diplomats and executives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Similarly,
in Spain, since 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation has
organized annual human rights seminars at the Diplomatic School of Spain, in Madrid.
31.
Slovenia reported a comprehensive training programme for social workers. The
Social Chamber of Slovenia is the country’s central professional association in the field of
social welfare, with the main task of preparing regulations and standards governing social
welfare services and qualification standards for various activities and for the assessment of
professional work. Information on the human rights-based approach has been embedded
into all education and training activities carried out between 2017 and 2019 by the Social
Chamber on topics such as domestic violence, children at risk, persons with disabilities,
migrants, human trafficking and older persons. In partnership with the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) office in Slovenia, the Social Chamber also conducted human
rights training programmes for employees in the field of social security on the topic of
refugee and migrant children. The project, carried out in the period 2016–2017, was
focused on the refugee and migrant response and was aimed at updating the professional
exam in the field of social protection to include topics on child rights, child protection and
standards in working with refugee and migrant children and conducting educational
programmes in that area. The project was prompted by the results of an online survey
carried out by the Social Chamber among frontline staff working directly with
unaccompanied and separated children, which revealed the need to strengthen frontline
workers’ skills to ensure the fulfilment of the rights of refugee and migrant children.
32.
Croatia reported that human rights training for civil servants was focused on issues
concerning groups in situations of exclusion or vulnerability. The Office for Human Rights
and the Rights of National Minorities, in cooperation with the Council for National
Minorities, regularly organizes seminars for national minority councils and representatives
in order to improve their understanding of minority rights and to create or improve
conditions for their effective participation in decision-making processes at the local and
regional levels. Moreover, in 2018, regional public discussions on overcoming obstacles to
the integration of persons under international protection were organized in six cities, raising
awareness among 235 civil servants of the challenges that such persons face.
33.
Some States highlighted cooperation with academic institutions. Since 2014,
Uppsala University has been mandated by Sweden to produce, develop and manage a
comprehensive programme focusing on the development of knowledge and skills in human
rights protection for civil servants. Together with the Swedish Association of Local
Authorities and Regions, Uppsala University offers an online introductory training course
on human rights in public service for civil servants working within the public sector in
Sweden. In addition, through cooperation with other government agencies, specialized
training modules are also available, including modules designed by the Agency for
Participation, the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, the Living History Forum and the
Social Insurance Agency. Uppsala University also offers courses on human rights to civil
servants with a mandate to work on human rights issues in their institutions. In 2019, the
governmental programme on human rights education for civil servants at Uppsala
University, including both online and face-to-face courses, reached almost 8,000 civil
servants. Educational institutions are also engaged in Croatia, where the International
Protection Service of the Ministry of the Interior established a cooperation agreement with
the University of Zagreb and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, in San Remo,
Italy, to deliver training on refugee issues.
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