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Kick-off of the new EU-funded “Climate Justice and Human Rights Education” project at the Moldova State University

The Global Campus and the GC Caucasus hub are glad to announce a new capacity development project with the Moldova State University, thanks to the support of the EU Delegation in Chisinau. Over the next 18 months, the action “Development of Climate Justice and Human Rights Education at the Moldova State University (MSU)” will focus on the setting up of an interdisciplinary Lab on climate justice and human rights between the Faculties of Law and Biology, which flagship activity will be a credit-based cross-regional summer school that involves lecturers and students from Moldova and universities/countries of the EU enlargement Eastward. The project will allow for the State University, as a new GC member, to contribute to the promotion and protection of environmental rights and climate justice by producing and disseminating critical knowledge for policy change, in the context of the EU enlargement. This will be achieved through curriculum and teaching tools development, teachers training in theory and practical skills, including specialized language training, refurbishment of teaching spaces and outreach activities. In the project logic, a follow-up phase shall later transform the Lab into a Centre, and the School into the first post-graduate MA in this subject for this region. The innovation of the project lays in its interdisciplinarity, evidenced by the exceptional cooperation with the faculties of Law and Biology, but also in the cross-regional approach: for the first time, three GC hubs, namely GC Caucasus/CES, GC Europe/EMA and GC South East Europe/ERMA will join forces to implement a collaborative human rights education initiative of universities from the Western Balkans, Caucasus, and the Eastern Partnership countries. This new sub-regional project is the result of the ongoing cooperation with the MSU, initiated in early 2023 after a comprehensive mapping, consultation and needs assessment process, and under the backing of the government of the Republic of Moldova. A multi-year MoU was hence signed by MSU, GC and GC Caucasus with the goal of supporting the MSU’s integration within the regional network, through the newly established GC Capacity Development programme.  A first project funded by Right Livelihood was then kick-started in January 2023 and after intensive work has already allowed for the creation of skills and tools to set-up new human rights education courses at the Law Faculty in Chisinau (European Standards of child rights protection; IT and human rights). These two courses are being piloted during this semester, also enabling the mobility of GC Caucasus students. Given these encouraging outcomes, the MSU was already accepted as a new GC member by the General Assembly in September 2023.  The GC was later proposed to extend the cooperation to develop a thematic specialization in environmental rights and climate justice with a human rights perspective, in the context of the EU integration process. Such perspective was welcomed both at the GC and in talks with the EU, hence an extensive preparation process has later led to the awarding of a grant for its implementation.  Eventually, the project was inaugurated in a public event held at the Faculty of Law in Chisinau on March 1st, with the participation of Minister of the Environment Ms Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov, the University leadership, representatives of the EU Delegation, delegates of the Global Campus and the project team.  Currently, environmental rights and climate justice education are thematic pillars of the GC action. Understanding the systemic and structural factors contributing to both climate change and social injustice is the initial step toward envisioning and advocating for solutions that address these root causes. This is particularly true in the developing countries of South-eastern and Caucasian Europe, such as Moldova, which lag behind in terms of effective and right-based environmental policies.  “This initiative could be a first step towards making substantial progress of the MSU in providing expertise at the national and regional on subjects that have been neglected, but which are vital”.  Ms. Iordanca-Rodica Iordanov, Minister of Environment  This project is part of the GC Capacity Development programme. For more information contact adriano.remiddi@gchumanrights.org

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The Buenos Aires Human Rights Week gathered expertise around issues of science and human rights

Panel Rights-based approach and the right to science: Manfred Nowak (GC), Guillermo Anlló (UNESCO), Thérèse Murphy (GC & European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies), Eran Nagan (EU Delegation), George Ulrich (GC) On 1 and 2 March, the ​​Centro Cultural Borges in Buenos Aires hosted the International Conference on Science and Human Rights, organised by the GC member Centro Internacional de Estudios Políticos (Universidad Nacional de San Martín) in partnership with the Global Campus network. Speakers and delegates alike drew out the reasons why it is crucial to consider and concretise the connections between science and human rights. The conference showcased local and regional expertise and engagement alongside issues and questions arising at international institutions and across the world, such as the promotion of open science and people-centred science to ensure the right to science; the need for establishing interfaces between science, politics and society to promote science-based decision making and responsible citizenship; the importance of mainstreaming the One Health approach; the questions arising from the relationship between access and use of scientific knowledge, corporate interests and public policies. In this way, it put the local in the global and the global in the local. The conference was opened by the Minister of Defense Jorge Taiana and the Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Filmus. According to Taiana, “the combination of science and a human rights perspective is essential if we want a world that is a little fairer, less unequal and that wherever we are born […] human beings have the opportunity to develop, live in freedom and aspire to fulfil their lives”. Taiana added that if science does not have a human rights perspective toward climate change, we will undoubtedly have a much more limited response.   Jorge Taiana, Argentinian Minister for Defense   Daniel Filmus, Argentinian Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation   Filmus reminded the audience that the Argentine military dictatorship destroyed CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council of Argentina) and eliminated any possibility of free thinking in the development of science. A moving reflection connected to the dictatorship period was offered by geneticist Victor Penchaszadeh (Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero): he was among the creators of the first “grandparenthood index” (allowing the identification of missing children) and advisor to the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in the operation of the National DNA Data Bank. Finally, the Rector of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín Carlos Greco concluded that “when a government decides to develop knowledge, it does so because, in addition to generating individual benefits, it generates social benefits and guarantees rights”. The conference also signalled the start of work on a Spanish language version of the MOOC on science and human rights jointly developed and delivered in late 2022 by UNESCO and the GC, featuring, among an impressive lineup of experts, Right Livelihood Laureate David Suzuki.   Thérèse Murphy, GC & European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies and Verónica Gómez, GC & UNSAM, present the GC MOOC on Science and Human Rights .   The Human Rights Week also included two additional events: the launch of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, presented at the Auditorio Belgrano of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship on 3 March with an impressive panel of experts; and a special visit to the UNSAM Technical High School where GC representatives, including the GC child rights team from the 7 GC hubs, conducted several activities with the students facilitated by Andrea Flores Ruilova (GC Latin America). Students brainstormed in small groups and came up with a list of issues they experience in their everyday life and concerns for the present and the future.   Panel Science for rights: Frans Viljoen (GC Africa & Advisory Committee OHCHR), Verónica Gómez (GC President & UNSAM), Javier Palummo (Advisory Committee OHCHR), Victor Penchaszadeh (Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero)   Over 150 people joined the various events organised by GC Latin America in the first week of March. A special thank you to our distinguished speakers from multiple branches of the Argentinian government, universities and research agencies, international NGOs, UN agencies, the GC network and the Right Livelihood College.   Manfred Nowak, Global Campus of Human Rights Watch a short video on the conference published by Telem, Argentine national news agency (in Spanish) https://www.youtube.com/embed/A4n6B47pap0 Read the news published by the official website of the Republic of Argentina (in Spanish) https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/taiana-encabezo-la-apertura-de-la-conferencia-internacional-sobre-ciencia-y-derechos Enjoy the photos of the activity conducted together with the UNSAM Technical High School, of the conference and the presentation of the UN Global Study. Amador Sánchez Rico, EU Delegation in Argentina   Verónica Gómez, Global Campus of Human Rights & UNSAM     Panel Intersectional Approaches in Access to Science:Silvia Bernatené (UNSAM), Victor Karunan (Right Livelihood College), Liliana Tojo (consultant). Video message of Yesenia Olaya (Ministry of Science, Colombia)     Panel Public Policies and Private Interest in Access to Scientific Knowledge: Héctor Mazzei (UNSAM), Luis Wall (Universidad de Quilmes), Ana Maria Llois (UNSAM), Sergio Romero (CONICET)   UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty: Ariel Cejas Meliare (Procurador Penitenciario Adjunto), Manu Krishan (GC), Gloria Bonatto (Directora Nacional para Adolescentes Infrantores de la Ley Penal), Mary Beloff (CRC), Marisa Graham (Defensora de los Derechos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes de la Argentina), Esteban de la Torre (Instituto Interamericano del Niño, la Niña y Adolescentes), Juan Miguel Petit (Comisionado Parlamentario Penitenciario, Uruguay), Manfred Nowak (GC)     Activity with the students of the Technical High School UNSAM    

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