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Revision as of 14:43, 26 March 2010 by Cgianolla (talk | contribs) (two titles)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The European Inter–University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) is an interdisciplinary centre formed by 41 universities from all European Union Member States. It is founded on a commitment to the realisation of the values enshrined in the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, the promotion of high-level inter-disciplinary human rights education, research, training and culture, and a shared global understanding of human rights and democracy. EIUC is located in Venice, Italy.
The mail project managed by EIUC is the European Master's Programme in Human rights and Democratisation (E.MA).
EIUC Profile
By facilitating a pan-European pooling of expertise, EIUC’s mission is to foster a community of scholars, researchers and professionals, with the problem-solving capacities and creativity to promote democracy and the implementation of human rights worldwide. EIUC advances innovative models for programmes and projects that bridge theory and practice and are significant for determining human rights and democratisation policies in Europe, providing assistance to neighbouring countries, and promoting the rule of law, democratic principles and good governance through overseas development cooperation.
EIUC is the only European institution identified in the Regulation (EC) No. 1889/2006 of The European Parliament and of the Council on establishing a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide as beneficiary of EU operational funding in the financial perspective 2007-2013.
Supported by the European Union and advised by major intergovernmental, non-governmental, regional and local strategic partners EIUC’s activities include:
- Providing high level action-oriented and interdisciplinary education for students worldwide;
- Developing advanced training with a view to meeting operational requirements for senior officials of international organisations, field personnel, and other human rights professionals;
- Identifying processes and means of transferring academic and institutional expertise into the public sphere, e.g. through the visual arts and mass media;
- Creating a fertile environment for research and research cooperation and the transformation of results into realistic policies;
- Representing a network of more than 850 graduates of the European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation now working for governments, major international organisations, and non-governmental organisations in and outside Europe.
EIUC President
The President of EIUC is Prof. Dr. Horst Fischer since 2002 and he was the first Chairperson of the European Master's Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation from 1997 till December 2000.
Prof. Dr. Fischer is Director of the Brussels Office of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH since 2007.
He is Academic Director of the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (Institut für Friedenssicherungsrecht und Humanitäres Völkerrecht/IFHV) at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in Germany; Professor of International Humanitarian Law at Leiden University in the Netherlands and adjunct Professor at SIPA/Columbia University, New York. From 1996 to 2004 he was the General Editor of the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law. In 1999 he received a special price for outstanding performance in international university co-operation by the German Rectors Conference and the Ministry for Education and Research.
Prof. Dr. Fischer covers also the following other key posts in the area of human rights, humanitarian law, and humanitarian action:
- Co-founder in 1993 and since 1999 President of the ECHO-funded NOHA-Association in Brussels, offering the NOHA Master which has been selected as an Erasmus Mundus programme in 2004;
- Co-founder of the European University Network comprising of 60 universities 'HUMANET' focusing on issues of humanitarian activities;
- Adviser for international affairs for the German Red Cross since 1986 and the Netherlands Red Cross since 2001;
- President of the Berghof Peace Foundation Board in Berlin since 2001;
- Member of the Board of the German Red Cross since November 2009.
EIUC Secretary General
The EIUC Secretary General is Prof. Florence Benoît-Rohmer of the University of Strasbourg. Prof. Benoît-Rohmer took up this function on 1 January 2009.
Born in Strasbourg, Florence Benoît-Rohmer holds a PhD in Public Law.
President of the Université Robert Schuman (URS), Strasbourg, from 2003 to 2008, Florence Benoît-Rohmer is Professor at the Law Faculty in Strasbourg. She is Director of the Master programme in Human Rights at the University of Strasbourg and has served as Vice-President of EIUC from 2002 till 2008 and as French national director of the European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation (E.MA) since its inception in 1997.
Prof. Benoît-Rohmer has been acting as human rights expert for the Council of Europe and EU, was member of the European Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights set up by the European Commission, and is currently president of the Scientific Committee of the Fundamental Rights Agency of the EU. She is also member of the scientific committees of several international journals specialised in human rights, and in particular minority rights.
Prof. Benoît-Rohmer’s research interests range from the study of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and Constitutional Rights in Central and Eastern European countries, to national minority rights.
EIUC Organs
Composition of the members of EIUC Organs, Board of Administrators, Assembly, Advisory Board.
The EIUC Organs are:
- the Assembly,
- the Board of Administrators,
- the President (Prof. Horst Fischer),
- the Honorary President (Pres. Mary Robinson),*
- the Deputy-President (Prof. Attracta Ingram),
- the Secretary General (Prof. Florence Benoît-Rohmer),
- the Advisory Board,
- the Auditor (Dott. David De Filippis).
It was with great satisfaction that the EIUC President and EIUC Board received the acceptance of Mary Robinson to serve as EIUC Honorary President.
The Board of Administrators consists of:
- Prof. Horst Fischer (Ruhr-University Bochum) President
- Prof. Attracta Ingram (University College, Dublin, Ireland) Deputy-President
- Prof. Guy Haarscher (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
- Prof. Felipe Gomez (University of Deusto, Bilbao)
- Prof. Maria Teresa Pizarro Beleza (New University of Lisbon)
- Prof. Jean-Paul Lehners (Université du Luxembourg)
- Prof. Zdzislaw Kedzia (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan)
- Prof. Kalliope Agapiou - Josephides (University of Cyprus).
The Advisory Board
The Advisory Board consists of the same members of the E.MA Advisory Board, who are representatives of the following institutions:
- European Union,
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
- UNESCO,
- Council of Europe,
- Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE),
- International Committee of the Red Cross,
- Regional Government of Veneto,
- Municipality of Venice,
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH,
- Human Rights Watch,
- International Committee of Jurists,
- International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims.
Participating Universities
As of March 2010, the EIUC Assembly consists of representatives of the following 37 universities from 26 countries:
- University of Graz and University of Vienna (Austria),
- Catholic University Leuven and Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium),
- Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria),
- University of Cyprus (Cyprus),
- Masaryk University, Brno (Czech Republic),
- University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark in cooperation with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (Denmark),
- Tartu University (Estonia),
- Åbo Akademy University (Finland),
- Université de Strasbourg and Université de Montpellier (France),
- Ruhr-University Bochum and University of Hamburg (Germany),
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Panteion University Athens (Greece),
- Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Hungary),
- National University of Ireland, Galway and University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin (Ireland),
- Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and University of Padua (Italy),
- University of Latvia (Latvia),
- University of Vilnius (Lithuania),
- Université du Luxembourg (Luxembourg),
- University of Malta (Malta),
- Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan (Poland),
- New University of Lisbon and University of Coimbra (Portugal),
- University of Bucharest (Romania),
- Comenius University, Bratislava (Slovakia),
- University of Ljubljana (Slovenia),
- University of Deusto, Bilbao and University of Seville (Spain),
- Maastricht University (The Netherlands),
- Queen’s University Belfast and University of Nottingham (United Kingdom).
The following 4 E.MA Universities are cooperating with EIUC:
- University of Helsinki (Finland),
- Lund University and Uppsala University (Sweden),
- Utrecht University (The Netherlands).
EIUC Partners
Region of Veneto also provides substantial funding to EIUC. On 24 December 2004, the Regional Council finally adopted an amendment to the Regional Bill n. 33/1998 (formerly endorsed by the Region of Veneto in support of the E.MA Master’s Programme in December 1999), thus entitling EIUC to receive the Regional contribution and stating that a representative of the Region would sit on the EIUC Board of Administrators. Liaising with the Region of Veneto, and in particular with Dott. Vecchiato, Director of the Regional International Relations Department, also provided the occasion for both parties to envisage a strategy for cooperation that led to the organisation of further joint activities. In 2005/2006 the Region of Veneto co-sponsored the international conference / round table on “Promoting Sustainable Democracy” which EIUC organised in July 2006 together with GTZ, and the E.MA Awarding / Opening Ceremony organised by EIUC on 24 September 2006. The Municipality of Venice ensures the use on the part of EIUC of the Monastery as seat for its staff and for the implementation of its activities. Until 2005 the Municipality also supported EIUC by hosting the Opening/Awarding Ceremonies in Palazzo Ducale (but not the 2006 and 2007 ceremonies, due to unavailability of Palazzo Ducale).
EIUC enjoys the collaboration with UNESCO, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit), Fundación Tres Culturas in Seville, La Biennale di Venezia, and benefits from the close cooperation of the Council of Europe, the OSCE, and other international organisations.
On 26 September 2004 the German federal enterprise Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH, with 30 years of experience in international cooperation, became one of the new strategic partners of EIUC. GTZ is present in 130 countries across four continents and works with partners on around 2700 projects mainly to find solutions for complex structural and reform processes within these countries. GTZ subscribes to the ten principles of the Global Compact initiative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to promote human rights, labour standards and environmental protection, and to fight corruption. International clients of the GTZ include the European Commission, development banks and the United Nations as well as governments and international companies.
The strategic partnership with GTZ also adds a new dimension of expertise and a new forum for dissemination of human rights-related concerns to the existing network structure. Both institutions cooperate to organise seminars and conferences on issues of joint interest. Such cooperation led to the planning, preparation, and implementation of three round-table conferences, jointly organised in July 2005, July 2006 and April 2007 (see Events). September 2005 marked the launch of the GTZ/EIUC Internship Programme, the second chapter of the EIUC/GTZ cooperation agreement. Immediately following their graduation, six E.MA graduates have been selected by GTZ for paid internships of a duration of 3-5 months.
On 25 May 2005 in Venice, Prof. Horst Fischer, EIUC President, and Prof. Davide Croff, the President of the Biennale di Venezia, signed a partnership agreement. The Biennale and EIUC are thus strengthening the collaboration which started in 2004 with the EIUC Human Rights Film Award within the framework of the 61st Venice Film Festival, and are currently developing new joint activities aimed at promoting human rights and democratic values through arts and culture. This partnership will henceforth form the background context of EIUC activities in the field of human rights and cinema, including the Summer School on Cinema and Human Rights, as well as other visual and plastic arts.
The latest cooperation partnership started by EIUC is with Fundación Tres Culturas, based in Seville (Spain). On 6 February 2006 President Fischer and the Director General of the Foundation, Mr. Enrique Ojeda Vila, signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement. which will permit close cooperation between the two organisations regarding internships for EIUC graduates, joint conferences and events as well as scientific relations. The agreement is to be seen in the context of the activities EIUC is pursuing with the aim of mainstreaming human rights and democratisation issues in the broader framework of cultural promotion. Among the first concrete activities proposed in cooperation with Fondacion Tres Culturas is the co-sponsorship of the international conference on “Intercultural Dialogue” which EIUC planned together with GTZ, and which the Foundation hosted in Seville in May 2007.
EIUC and E.MA are further enriched by the input given by representatives of non-governmental organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims. All organisations mentioned are members of the EIUC Advisory Board and thus provide their expertise to the EIUC and E.MA management on a continuous basis.
EIUC and EU
Education and training are key elements of the EU’s policy on human rights and democratisation. A special priority in this regard concerns skills building for human rights organisations and developing networks of highly qualified experts.
With a view to implementing this policy, the European Parliament and the European Commission have taken a strong initiative in supporting the establishment of E.MA, and subsequently EIUC, and have continued to provide active support to the development of EIUC and E.MA activities. The Declaration of the EU on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (Vienna, 10 December 1998) testifies to this fundamental support by expressing the commitment of the EU institutions to the continuation of E.MA. The European Council has also recognized over the years the added value of E.MA and EIUC activities, as witnessed in the conclusions of the Cologne European Council of 1999 and, on a continuous basis, in the declarations expressed by representatives of the Council participating in on-going events organised by EIUC.
For the funding period 2004-2006, the framework regulating EU support towards EIUC was established by Decision N°791/2004/EC of the European Parliament and the Council (21 April 2004), which mentions EIUC as one of the 7 European Institutions that seek “to extend and deepen knowledge of the building of Europe, or to contribute to the achievement of the common policy objectives in the field of education and training both inside and outside the Community”.
The EU Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, adopted on 20 December 2006, has ensured continued funding for EIUC for the entire period of the financial perspective 2007-2013 since it establishes a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide, and in this context expressly names EIUC as beneficiary. Article 13 of the Regulation specifically envisages: “grants to support operating costs of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC), in particular for the European Master’s Degree Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation and the EU-UN Fellowship Programme, fully accessible to nationals of third countries, as well as other education, training and research activities promoting human rights and democratisation”.
As no other European institution (except for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) is earmarked for funding in this financing instrument, it is clear that EIUC has been given a strong vote of confidence from the side of the EU institutions and now has a solid base for its continued promotion of human rights and democratisation though education, specialised training, research cooperation, and an expanding range of other activities. The new EIUC Board, President, and Secretary General are committed to rising to this challenge. Intense dialogue and exchange with officials in the EU institutions, and in particular with officials of the European Parliament and the European Commission, have given the EIUC Governing Bodies the opportunity to be more visible and appreciated by key European actors and promoters of EU core values. In June 2005 Prof. Horst Fischer, EIUC President, and Dr. George Ulrich, EIUC Secretary General, presented EIUC objectives and activities to the members of several Committees of the European Parliament in Brussels.
(Read here the speech made by Prof. Horst Fischer, EIUC President, to the European Parliament in June 2005).
In the same spirit of cooperation, the European Parliament has contracted EIUC to conduct a study on “the impact of the resolutions and other activities of the European Parliament in the field of human rights outside the EU”. This study was undertaken by a team consisting of Prof. Horst, Fischer, Prof. Florence Benoit-Rohmer, Dr. George Ulrich, Mr. Sébastien Lorion and Amb. Klaus Metscher, with the assistance, inter alia, of Prof. Manfred Nowak, Prof. Wolfgang Benedek and Prof. Stelios Perrakis. It was finalised and submitted it to the European Parliament in the autumn of 2006 and published by Marsilio Editori in early 2007 under the title Beyond Activism: The Impact of the Resolutions and Other Activities of the European Parliament in the Field of Human Rights Outside the EU. Findings and recommendations of the study were presented and discussed in a high level seminar organised by the EP Sub-Committee on Human Rights borrowing its title from EIUC’s publication: Beyond Activism: The impact of the human rights activities of the European Parliament.
(Read here the short version or the full text of the EIUC Study Beyond Activism).
The visibility of the European Union in EIUC’s on-going activities is regularly ensured in numerous ways:
- EU representatives contribute to the E.MA programme as experts in several thematic sections as well in a second stream (i.e. optional) series devoted to EU mechanisms and policies on human rights. This participation is almost invariably successful and appreciated both by students and EU representatives.
- European perspectives on human rights are salient in the E.MA programme in general and play an especially central role in the thematic section devoted to the regional human rights system.
- Readings dealing with EU policies on human rights and democratisation and the role of the Union in promoting human rights in Europe and internationally play a central part in the E.MA course.
- From year to year, the EIUC calendar includes special events involving Commission representatives, COHOM members, and EU parliamentarians. The Degree Awarding and Opening Ceremony in September and annual Diplomatic Conference in July are prominent examples of such constructive EIUC – EU cooperation. Specialised human rights training courses for officials of the European Commission mark another important example.
EIUC Venue
The monastery adjoining the 17th Century church of San Nicolò (1626) was most probably founded in 1053.
After the year 1000, the doges of Venice began to make official visits every year to the three Benedectine monasteries of Venice: San Giorgio, San Zaccaria, and San Nicolò.
These visits, pageants of colour and splendour, were made in gorgeously decorated boats, similar to those used for the Feast of the Serenissima (another name for the Venetian Republic in its heyday). Such boats probably resembled those still used today for the Regata Storica ("parade" of historical boats) which takes place on the Grand Canal every year on the first Sunday in September. Around 1500, San Nicolò monastery underwent a radical transformation. All that remains of the original structure are the two fine Veneto-Byzantine columns on either side of the main entrance to the monastery, which date back to the late 11th early 12th Century. Ongoing restoration and excavation efforts continue to bring to light new and exciting aspects of the history of the various buildings in the complex and their changes through the centuries.
The graceful Renaissance cloister dates back to 1530. Doge Domenico Contarini, 10th Century founder of Venice's most well known and loved building, St. Mark's Basilica, is among the illustrious personalities of Venetian history who are buried in the cloister.
Doge Contarini was the founder of the monastery, along with the Patriarch of Grado and the Bishop of Castello. The Benedictine monastery of San Nicolò, closed after the suppression of the order in 1770, was later re-opened by Franciscan monks for educational purposes. A technical training school for typographers, carpenters and radiomechanics was eventually situated at the site. In 1998, the City of Venice generously conceded use of this architectural and historical monument as the seat of the European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation.
EIUC LIBRARY
PREMISES AND INFRASTRUCTURAL RESOURCES
The Monastery of San Nicolò, which has been made available to the EIUC by the Municipality of Venice, includes a major lecture hall (Aula Magna), 6 additional class rooms and meeting rooms, a conference room, 7-8 offices, one computer room with 25 pc's, several wireless connection points, a library, a dining area, and in addition various other rooms (such as a music and a tv room) used for miscellaneous purposes.
The following technical facilities are available for seminars and conferences:
- computers with internet connection,
- 2 beamers,
- 1 overhead projector,
- 2 fixed screens (1,75m x 1,75m),
- flipcharts.