Summer Course Human Rights

17 - 28 August 2009

The Hague, the Netherlands 
+
Leuven, Belgium

Introduction
This year’s theme is ‘Responsibility to Protect in a Globalising World’. Large-scale and widespread atrocities committed in Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and other places around the world have drawn attention to the specific role and responsibility of States and of the United Nations (UN) in preventing or putting an end to them. During the Summer Course on Human Rights we will focus on the legal and political framework which should ensure that the principle of responsibility to protect does not remain an empty promise.

Through lectures and group discussions we will address in detail the development of this principle and the mechanisms which are in place to make that obligation a reality. A number of well-known scholars and practitioners will offer their insights on this topic. Due attention will also be paid to procedures and institutions for human rights monitoring at the universal and regional level, their co-existence and effectiveness.

Course design and programme
The first week of the Course will take place in the “legal capital of the world”, The Hague (The Netherlands). Lectures and seminars will focus on the ‘responsibility to protect’, universal mechanisms of human rights protection and their effectiveness and shortcomings. Attention is paid to both charter-based and treaty-based United Nations mechanisms of protection. Special attention is paid to the evolution of social and economic rights and their accountability. In addition, lectures will encompass international criminal law and the International Court of Justice. Participants prepare group assignments on a topical issue and present the results to a panel of experts at the end of the week.

During this first week, the exceptional opportunity is offered to visit the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia or the International Criminal Court and the Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, all in The Hague.

At the beginning of the second week, the participants will make a study trip to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (France). The rest of the week will take place in Leuven (Belgium). Lectures and workshops will concentrate on the European, the Inter American and the African regional systems for human rights and the European Union’s role in promoting and protecting human rights.

Working language
The working language will be English. Participants should therefore be proficient in English.

Certification
Upon completion of the course and satisfactory participation, each participant will receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Admission requirements
The Summer Course is an advanced course in the field of human rights. Candidates for the course must preferably have a degree in law or an equivalent degree in political and social sciences. It is targeted towards young professionals with academic or practical experience in the field of law and/or human rights. The number of participants will be limited to 30. In general, participants are aged between 25 and 35.

Location
Both cities, The Hague and Leuven, offer a unique environment for the Summer Course. The Hague is the city of Peace, Justice and Security. Not only is it host to a number of international courts and tribunals, it also boasts a diverse and vibrant community of international organizations and NGOs who follow the latest developments in international law. The course is hosted by the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague, named after the famous Dutch lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911. It is well-known for its research in matters of international law.

Leuven, situated in the Flemish part of Belgium, is well known for its medieval atmosphere and its ancient houses and churches. It is conveniently located 25 km from the capital of Brussels. The Catholic University of Leuven was founded in 1425. With more than 3,000 students the Faculty of Law is one of the largest faculties in Belgium.

Course fee
The course fee is 1,600 EURO. This fee includes accommodation for two weeks, lunches on course days, excursions to international organisations in The Hague and Strasbourg, tuition by experts in the field, and course materials. Participants will be lodged in a student hotel in The Hague, and in a university guesthouse in Leuven. They have to arrange for their own meals (other than the ones provided by the programme).

After admission to the Summer Course, participants are to pay the tuition fee within two weeks.

Scholarships and travel arrangements
A limited number of scholarships is available. Participants have to make their own travel and visa arrangements and also take care of proper medical, travel and damage insurance coverage.

Deadline for application
Applications must be received before 25 April 2009. All applicants must enclose a curriculum vitae and a letter of motivation. Participants applying for a scholarship should also enclose a letter of recommendation. All information will be handled confidentially.

Application form 
Applications are to be submitted on-line

Organisation
The Summer Course Human Rights is organised by the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research, the Catholic University of Leuven, Northwestern University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame.

The Netherlands School of Human Rights Research is a joint effort of the faculties of law and the humanities of a number of universities in the Netherlands. The Research School is coordinated from the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM), Utrecht University, and hosts over sixty professors and senior researchers in the field of human rights. Furthermore, some thirty Ph.D. candidates receive their training within the framework of the Research School. 

The Institute for Human Rights of the Faculty of Law at the Catholic University of Leuven is known for its expertise on the European Convention on Human Rights. It has developed a strong focus in specific human rights areas.

Northwestern University School of Law and Notre Dame Law School are both leading American law schools with renowned human rights centers and LL.M. programmes in international human rights law.

Organizing committee
Prof. Douglass W. Cassel (University of Notre Dame)
Director Center for International Human Rights

Prof. Roel de Lange (Tilburg University)
Chairman General Board of the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research

Prof. Jenny Goldschmidt (Utrecht University)
Director Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM)

Prof. Roel de Lange (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Director of Human Rights Research

Prof. Paul Lemmens (Catholic University of Leuven)
Director Institute for Human Rights

Dr. Gentian Zyberi (Utrecht University)
Coordinator summer course

Prof. Stephan Parmentier (Catholic University of Leuven)
Director Law and Society Institute

Prof. Olivier Ribbelink (T.M.C. Asser Institute)
Head Department of Research

Prof. Stephan Sawyer (Northwestern University)
General Counsel Center for International Human Rights

Prof. Tom Zwart (Utrecht University)
Director Netherlands School of Human Rights Research

WITH THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE FLEMISH INTER-UNIVERSITY COUNCIL AND THE BELGIAN MINISTRY OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Programme Summer Course 2009 (will be available shortly)

Address for your correspondence
Secretariat Summer Course Human Rights 2008
School of Human Rights Research
Drift 15
3512 BR Utrecht
The Netherlands
Phone:  + 31 30 253 8033 / 8034
Fax: + 31 30 253 7168
E: rvdm-summercourse@law.uu.nl

Institute for Human Rights
University of Leuven
Faculty of Law
Tiensestraat 41
B-3000 Leuven
Belgium
Phone: (+32) 16 32 51 17