דוח השתתפות באקדמיה הבינלאומית לזכויות אדם 2009

הטקסט קיים רק בשפה אנגלית

Report on my Participation in the International Human Rights Academy 2009

(The report is available in English only)

Date : 16-31. October 2009

Participant: Dr. Bettina Suleiman, Development Coordinator at Kayan – Feminist Organization, Haifa, Israel

In October 2009, I participated in the “International Human Rights Academy”, a yearly two-week legal course on human rights organized by the Universities of Ghent, Pretoria, the Western Cape, Utrecht, the Free University of Brussels and the American University Washington College of Law. I participated alongside with 32 other participants from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the US. My participation was made possible through a scholarship awarded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty.

My motivation to participate in the course was my lack of formal and legal education on human rights. I am utilizing human rights and particularly women’s rights in my work for a Palestinian feminist organization in Israel on a daily basis, and I have dealt at length with the philosophical justification, or lack thereof, and dilemmas of the idea of universal human rights in my academic education. My background in philosophy and particularly my Ph.D. in the philosophy of self-defense and war have accustomed me to a certain extent with legal concepts and legal language as well, and further raised my interest in international law.

I felt that the academic level of the IHRA was very appropriate for me and my little background in human rights. Without a legal background and as NGO staff, I was outnumbered by the lawyers and legal professionals in the course, and this proved to be an advantage. As opposed to my fellow participants, I had almost no formal education of any of the topics taught, though I had “heard of” most of the issues in my professional and academic life. Thus, I received both a vast amount of knowledge and the excellent opportunity to structure my half knowledge.

What I particularly enjoyed was the very academic character of the course, with high-level speakers who came from the academia to a large majority. The academic character was further underlined by the large amount of reading material provided, and the fact that most speakers provided lectures rather than workshops, though most also gave sufficient space for questions and discussion. I had come to learn about a subject that I am not too knowledgeable in rather than to discuss on the basis of my ignorance, so this was perfect for me. Working for an NGO and normally participating in hands-on seminars, I enjoyed not having to waste any time (with the exception of one session) on group-work and exercises. Certainly it was challenging to sit through five lectures of 80 minutes everyday, but I prefer to be challenged than to be under-challenged.

I benefited particularly from the sessions on Charter-based and treaty-based mechanisms in international law, social and economic rights, international humanitarian law, and international criminal law. In addition to imparting knowledge, the IHRA also gave me the opportunity to reflect and discuss, particularly during the sessions on the role of NGOs by Prof. Baehr and Prof. Vieira. I benefited less from the sessions on the regional systems in Africa, the Americas and the EU, since these sessions lack practical applicability for my work. However, it was very interesting to hear about these systems and certainly helped to develop a deeper understanding of the international systems.

I cannot say at this point how much I will be able to apply my new knowledge in my practical work in the future, as I am working in a grassroots organization that rarely participates in human rights advocacy on the international level. But I surely feel more authorized to raise human rights issues in my work, in my organization and in my professional networks. I received a lot of material for further studies (and I hope that I will also receive the presentations soon). Some speakers were so inspiring that I plan to read some of their books and articles.

As for the environment, I consider myself very lucky to have livee and studied in Cape Town for more than two weeks, and to discover this vibrant city with its moving history and present. As a kindergarten girl in Eastern Germany, I sent Nelson Mandela drawings that I had designed especially colorful, so that he could have some colors in the sad reality of his prison cell. To my disappointment, the field trip to Robben Island certified what I had long feared – that these drawings never reached the anti-Apartheid leader. Still, it was very interesting to listen to first-hand reports from the Apartheid days, the more so since many in Israel and Palestine tend to compare the situation of our region to Apartheid South Africa. My assumption was always that this comparison is far-fetched, and I have found much confirmation of this in Cape Town. On another note, I was pleased that the seminar also did not lack a critical perspective on the corruption and mismanagement in South Africa’s leadership of today.

As for my fellow participants, I had never in my life met someone from Kenia, Nigeria, Indonesia or Thailand before, to mention just a few countries. I probably do the respective participants wrong by seeing them as representatives of their nations only, while they are in fact high-ranking professionals in the army, the judicial system, and the academia, and while this very much contributed to their ability to explain the situation in their countries to me. This might sound naïve, but I have often in my life made the experience that knowing a person from a certain country or region has mounted my interest in and understanding of that country of region. It just makes things less abstract and adds some human aspects. It was a pity that it was not possible to have a deep conversation with every participant due to lack of a common language, but I pledge to study some Turkish and Spanish and some more languages for the next time.

As for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s frame program and support, I cannot thank them enough. My small organization would never have been able to send me to South Africa let alone pay the modest but substantial participant fees. The scholarship made this experience possible for me, and also allowed me to add to my experiences with this foundation that has already supported my Ph.D. research both financially and ideally. I had the chance to get to know foundation staff from Turkey, Thailand and Germany, and to get to know the International Visitor’s Program. Also, as a liberal living in a not-so-liberal environment, it was such a pleasure to be exposed to a whole-day seminar on liberalism again! I found myself sitting there and nodding my head in agreement all the time.

I wish to thank the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the organizing universities, the academic and organizing staff, and everyone else who made the IHRA a truly unforgettable and worthwhile experience.

Dr. Bettina Suleiman