Joint WS, AA-S&C-STEP Key Area Meeting, Prague

Joint WS, AA-S&C-STEPKey Area Meeting, Prague

ELSA and Human Rights

The European Law Students’ Association

Albania˙Austria˙Azerbaijan˙Belgium˙Bosnia and Herzegovina˙Bulgaria˙Croatia˙Cyprus˙Czech Republic˙Denmark˙Estonia˙Finland˙France˙Georgia˙Germany˙Greece˙Hungary˙Iceland˙Ireland˙Italy˙ Kazakhstan˙Latvia˙Lithuania˙Luxembourg˙Malta˙Montenegro˙The Netherlands˙Norway˙Poland˙Portugal˙Republic of Macedonia˙Romania˙Russian Federation˙Serbia˙Slovak

Republic˙Slovenia˙Spain˙Sweden˙Switzerland˙Turkey˙Ukraine˙United Kingdom

Topics of the day:

1. Introduction

2. Overview: HR activities throughout the Network

3. ELSA Day 2nd edition

4. ELSA Day 3rd edition

5. Open discussion:

• What does ELSA’s commitment to Human Rights mean?

• Other hot topics




ELSA’s Vision:

A just world in which there is respect for human dignity and cultural diversity




Decision Book – “Human Rights –part”

Human Rights is the main treasure and value of mankind. Therefore the implementation of Human Rights is an objective of the Network.

ELSA shall be continuously committed to Human Rights awareness, Human Rights education, and the respect of the Rule of Law. ELSA shall strive to be recognised for a strictly legal, academic and impartial approach to Human Rights.

…

Human Rights shall be implemented in all key area activities.




Strategic Goals 2018

ELSA shall constantly develop awareness and knowledge of human rights

- ELSA shall develop its own Human Rights programme - ELSA shall establish human rights partnerships on all levels - ELSA shall organise an annual ELSA Day with participation of each Local Group




What do we mean by “its own Human Rights programme”?

• Independent: define what HR are to us

• Aim at organising a decent amount of HR events

• Overview of what HR activities we have throughout the

Network




ELSA International’s Human Rights Partner:




CoE – ELSA’s most important supporter!

- Operational support

- Projects: HRMCC, ELSA Day, LRGs,

Delegations, conferences

Opportunities for you?

-Patronage, Speakers, Institutional Visits, Cheap

Accommodation in Strasbourg




Project partner: – European Human Rights Moot Court Competition








ELSA International Human Rights Projects

Past and future ones


European Human Rights Moot Court Competition




Legal Research Groups

• ELSA for Childen, CoE, 2012

• Online Hate Speech, CoE, 2013

• Children Rights, MCE, 2014

• Social Rights, CoE, 2014








Delegations

• ECOSOC

• World forum for Democracy

• UN HR bodies


World Forum for Democracy – Council of Europe




International Conferences

Applications open until 1st October!




International Summer Law School


STEP:

- Lawyers without boundaries - ECPAT- Roma Council - Human Rights Defender - University - Government office for HR - Women rights center, Pakistan




HR Survey in ELSA, spring 2014







Mostly children rights institutions





No wonder, it’s from 2001




Observations:

• Need for a Director for HR?

• Enough focus on HR in ELSA? Many opinions

• More focus on legal persons’ HR

• HRMCC and ELSA Day seems to be the most known

international HR activities

• ELSA is not and cannot be a HR association

• We don’t make an impact – can we be more proactive?

• Blurry line between HR and non political status

• What are HR?




3rd Edition - 26th November 2014




Focus: Human Rights and Social Responsibility

PurposeTo contribute to legal education, to foster mutual understanding and to promote social responsibility of law students and young lawyers.

Means…

Encouraging law students and young lawyers to act for the good of society.




- Social responsibility is not the topic - the broad field of

Human Rights is.

- Social responsibility deals with the impact your event

has on society.




Suggestions on events:

• Human Library

• Access to Justice

• Tea Time

• Legal debate

• Charity

• Cultural Diversity

What will ELSA International do?





• ELSA International Director for Human Rights

• National ELSA Day Coordinators– 23 subscribed so far

• Materials from Council of Europe

• Event Specification form

• Evaluation

• ELSA Day Competition:

• Academic quality, relevance to the topic of human rights

and social responsibility, impact on society, creativity and

online and offline visibility

Timeline25th August Appointment of National ELSA Day Coordinators

3.-7. September Key Area Meeting

20th September Deadline for submitting the Event Specification Form

Start Oct Mkt materials out, web page info update

14th October Drop the Online Bomb

19-26th October ICM Bodrum

26th November ELSA Day

15th December Evaluation Form

19-26th April ICM Cluj Napoca, “Award Ceremony”




Open DiscussionShare your thoughts about any key are topic




ELSA’s commitment to Human Rights

• What are Human Rights?

• What is our mandate?

• When does it become political?






















The problem of the non-political status

• What can we do?

• Does ELSA support human rights?


Can we do anything?




Does ELSA support democracy?Are we against death penalty? Homosexuals should have the right to marry?Women should have the exact same rights as men?

Are human rights universal?

These are human rights questions in some countries. They are political questions in other. Can ELSA take a stand?




What does ELSA mean by its commitment to social responsibility?

To contribute to legal education, to foster mutual understanding and to promote social responsibility of law students and young lawyers.

Encouraging law students and young lawyers to act for the good of society.

• Should ELSA do more?

• Non political status




Restructure the key areas?

• Do external understand our titles?

• Is the division of responsibilities efficient?

Example (DB AA part)

1.6. Lawyers at Work Event

Lawyers at work events (L@W events) are an

opportunity for law students and young

lawyers to receive career information from

those working in various professions which are

open to law graduates. L@W events aim at

allowing law students and young lawyers an

inside view into the legal profession.

…

1.6.4 The AA officer shall consider organising

L@W events in the form of job fair, career day,

visit to law firms and institutions or

information sessions.

Documents

Joint WS, AA-S&C-STEP Key Area Meeting, Prague