UN Trains Young Rights Educators in Budapest
Young human rights educators from the Middle East and North Africa completed an eight-day residential course in Budapest this autumn.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Youth
UN Human Rights sponsored young human rights educators from the Middle East and North Africa region for a residential training course at the European Youth Center in Budapest from 29 September to 6 October 2026. The course is part of the 2026 Training of Trainers in Human Rights Education program, which runs from May through December 2026.
Why it matters
The program prepares young activists and volunteers to deliver human rights education within their own communities. It reflects a collaboration between UN Human Rights and the Council of Europe that has run since 2020.
The residential course lasted eight days and ran from 29 September to 6 October 2026 at the European Youth Center in Budapest. The source does not report the total number of participants or any measured outcomes from the training.
The players
UN Human Rights
The United Nations Human Rights office is the UN body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is a Strasbourg-based international organization founded in 1949 that promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law across Europe.
The details
Participants, including Dorra Sioud from Tunisia, Ahmad El-Aydi from Palestine, Hala Al Resheq from Jordan, Layla Nukairy from Syria and Malak Joudi from Lebanon, exchanged experiences and developed practical methods for delivering human rights education. The course brought together young human rights educators, activists and volunteers.
Timeline
2020: UN Human Rights and the Council of Europe begin collaborating on human rights education for young activists.
May 2026: The Training of Trainers in Human Rights Education program begins.
29 September to 6 October 2026: The residential course is held in Budapest.
December 2026: The Training of Trainers program ends.
Youth Landscape
The UN Human Rights and Council of Europe partnership on youth human rights education has operated since 2020 and now reaches young activists from the Middle East and North Africa. This training extends that work beyond Europe to a regional cohort.
Young people interested in human rights education can look to programs like this as a pathway into community-based advocacy. The course offers a model for how volunteers can learn practical methods to teach rights in their own communities.
The takeaway
Human rights education works best when young people learn methods they can carry back into their own communities. Programs that train trainers multiply their reach beyond any single course.
Further reading
Explore more youth coverage for related stories on young activists and civic education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by OHCHR.
