Distinguished judges and experts unite to boost knowledge of human rights across the world

Some of the world’s most distinguished judges and academics have united to boost knowledge of human rights law across the globe.

An innovative new online course takes people on a compelling journey into one of the most powerful concepts at the heart of human rights – dignity.

Co-produced with the Global Campus of Human Rights, the course is designed and coordinated by renowned scholars Erin Daly, from Delaware Law School, and Catherine Dupré, from the University of Exeter Law School. It is the result of their passionate work in researching, teaching and inspiring global conversations about human dignity.

The course  includes special interviews with three distinguished judges whose work has helped shape human dignity around the world: Albie Sachs, who fought against apartheid in South Africa and was appointed to the country’s first Constitutional Court by Nelson Mandela; Susanne Baer, who sat at the German Federal Constitutional Court until 2023; and Veronica Gomez, who currently sits at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Their reflections are accompanied by those of leading human rights experts Manfred Nowak and George Ulrich from the Global Campus of Human Rights

Participants will discover how human dignity guides the work of human rights experts and judges and how it can positively impact people’s lives around the world, whether in relation to democracy, access to justice, civil and political rights, or social, economic, cultural and environmental rights.

The course is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about human rights and democracy around the world. Participants just need computer equipment and the internet.

Catherine Dupré said: “With Erin Daly, we have designed this course to be really user-friendly for all those who are busy with activism, practising law or campaigning. It gives participants legal tools and core legal resources. It also invites them to reflect on how human rights law can protect humanity and democracy better.”

The course explores the rights we hold simply because we are human. It looks at how the law is evolving to reflect and promote human dignity, not only as a value or a principle but also as a legal right increasingly enshrined in constitutions around the world and developed in case law and international human rights practice.

The course includes five units complete with a quiz and the possibility of a certificate. The course has already received overwhelming enthusiastic feedback and it is open until 2030.