The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants

Organization: Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

Start date: 6 Sep 2021

End date: 10 Sep 2021

Registration deadline: 20 Aug 2021

The United Nations (UN) Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP) was adopted in 2018.

How was it achieved? What does it mean for the protection and promotion of the rights of peasants, rural women, fisher, pastoralist and nomadic communities, as well as agricultural workers? What are the roles of states, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives of peasants and other people working in rural areas in the implementation of the UNDROP? How can UN human rights mechanisms monitor its implementation? Which lessons can be learned from the implementation of the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (UNDRIP) adopted in 2007?

This online training course helps participants to respond to these questions. It analyses the origins, drafting and content of the UNDROP, and provides participants with practical tools to include the UNDROP in their work. Two examples of national implementation – in Colombia and Switzerland – are discussed. Themes covered include the rights of rural women, as well as the rights to food and food sovereignty, land and other natural resources, and seeds and biological diversity.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage with international human rights experts and with representatives of states, international organizations, NGOs and peasant movements who contributed to the adoption of the UNDROP.

Programme

The course covers the following issues:

History and negotiation of the UNDROP
Content, rights and obligations in the UNDROP
Lessons learned from the implementation of the UNDRIP
Gender equality and the rights of rural women
Rights of agricultural workers
Rights to food, food sovereignty, land and other natural resources, seeds and biological diversity
Roles of states, international organizations, NGOs and social movements in the implementation of the UNDROP
Role of UN human rights mechanisms in monitoring the UNDROP
National implementation – the examples of Colombia and Switzerland.

Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will be:

Knowledgeable about the history and drafting of the UNDROP
Familiar with the content of the UNDROP
Able to identify and effectively describe violations of the UNDROP
Able to integrate tools for implementing and monitoring the UNDROP in their work
Able to discuss challenges in the implementation of specific rights enshrined in the UNDROP, such as the rights of rural women, as well as the rights to food, food sovereignty, land and other natural resources, seeds and biological diversity
Familiar with the roles of states, international organizations, NGOs, and representatives of peasants and other people working in rural areas in the implementation of the UNDROP
Aware of the role that UN human rights mechanisms can play in monitoring the implementation of the UNDROP.

Lecturers

The training course is given by members of academia and senior professionals from the Geneva Academy, international organizations, including from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as well as by representatives of states, NGOs and peasant organizations.

Methodology

The course is interactive and participants are encouraged to share their own experiences and perspectives on the issues. The training sessions include lectures and discussions with experts, as well as practical examples and case studies. Sessions are designed to enhance knowledge exchange with peers and facilitators.

Audience

This training course is designed for staff of NGOs, social movements, peasant organizations, development and human rights institutions, UN bodies and other international organizations, as well as representatives of governments and members of academia.