The Project

Introducing the Forum Human Rights in Higher Education

The Forum Human Rights in Higher Education is a new initiative by the European University Foundation – Campus Europae, which was held under the auspices of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, at the Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg on the 10th and 11th of March 2011 for the first time.

The first edition of this high-level international conference dealt with the ever complex and always pertinent issue of Human Rights in Higher Education – a timely and unique opportunity to look into the role of Education and particularly of the Universities in furthering Human Rights.

Speakers and experts

The first panel of the Forum was about matters of cultural relativism and was lead by an expert, who offered unique insights on the ongoing events in North Africa: Dr. Amina Lemrini El Ouahabi, from Morocco.

The second panel looked into the role of Universities in promoting values and how Higher Education Institutions (can) act as catalysts for change. This discussion was headed by Prof. Anatoly Mikhailov, Rector of the exiled Byelorussian European Humanities University and Prof. Jean-Paul Lehners, UNESCO Chair for Human Rights at the University of Luxembourg. The third and last panel discussed how academic freedom, university access and autonomy comply and are influenced by fundamental Human Rights dispositions.

In addition to the three panels there were presentations by other experts, such as Prof. Emmanuel Decaux, Rapporteur of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in Education, Dr. Ólöf Ólafsdóttir, from the Council of Europe and Heidi Hautala, MEP, Chair of the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights.

Why to organize the Luxembourg Forum?

Prof. Christoph Ehmann, Secretary General of the EUF-CE, offered the following comments about the Forum: “the aim of the Forum is to, at a time where the Higher Education agenda is overly focused on financing and organizational matters, provide a first class platform where more fundamental and far-reaching challenges can also discussed. The events that are unfolding on Europe’s southern border should remind us all that Higher Education must aim at equipping young adults to solve questions as or more complex than financial crisis, and there are few more pressing than advancing Human Rights. As such we are very proud to host some of the leading experts in Human Rights and Higher Education in Luxembourg.”

Organization

The Forum is organized jointly with the University of Luxembourg and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

The full programme of the 2011 Forum can be found here.