INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMME
International Leadership Training Programme: A Global Intergenerational Forum
June 18-28, 2015
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
View of Table Mountain and the Cape Town Skyline — Courtesy of Marita McComiskey
The International Leadership Development Programme, organized as a forum, is premised on a three-fold understanding of the vital role leaders play in society. The first is that every new generation of human rights leaders builds on the work of those who came before it. The second is that in today’s increasingly interdependent global world, where actions or events in any part of the global system have impact on people in other regions of the world, there is a need to build a network of solidarity and to nurture a new cadre of human rights leaders who can educate others and provide enlightened leadership to meet the complex and multifaceted challenges of the new millennium. And the third is that young people are a force to be reckoned with and that the future belongs to them. In order, therefore, to ensure that they are effective leaders for a better future, today’s leaders have a duty to impart their knowledge to the younger generation of leaders and to alert it of the pitfalls of the past. This is because, although the circumstances under which the new generation of leaders operates/will operate are different, the issues that confront them are not fundamentally new to humanity and the types of strategies that would help them tackle the various issues need not be completely reinvented but innovatively adapted to new circumstances. A principal reason why the Intergenerational Forum focuses on young leaders specifically is because, more than any other group in society, their training will most likely have great and ripple impact on society. Accordingly, the Forum will place premium on nurturing and developing young people for local and global leadership and in building bridges and a network of solidarity, which promote the sharing of experiences and understanding of, and provide an impetus for, the empowerment of young leaders that will enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities and the world at large. The forum will provide tools and a platform for open debates about policies, programs, activities and processes necessary for human rights leadership. In appreciation of the dynamics of an interdependent world, the UNESCO Chair hosts annually intergenerational forum that brings together young leaders from all regions of the world in the field of human rights. The forum is held in August of each year to coincide with the International Youth Day, which is commemorated at the United Nations Headquarters in the USA. To complement the annual forum, regional fora are envisaged to be held in various continents.
The leadership development programme is informed by the principle of reciprocal consultation, learning and empowerment and cross pollination of ideas and ideals. The main objectives of the Forum are to: involve young leaders in finding solutions to emerging human rights problems; nurture individuals to be effective leaders in the field of human rights; promote the sharing of experiences and understanding; provide an impetus for, and the empowerment of, youth leaders that will enable them to play a crucial and constructive role in the development of human rights in their communities; build a network of solidarity among future leaders in the field of human rights; hone the skills and expand the knowledge relevant to human rights practice; and provide tools and a platform for open debates about policies, programmes, activities and processes necessary for human rights leadership. Participants at the conference should be individuals (ages 18-30) from all over the world who have been involved in some capacity in human rights work in their communities.
During the Forum, various workshops are planned, which include training in areas such as grassroots organizing, building coalitions, effective communication, use of media for human rights education, and under-standing of the processes and relevance of restorative justice. It is planned that discussions would be conducted under the rubric of the following principal areas: namely, poverty, education, health, conflict resolution and/or transformation, the rights and plight of children, refugees and war, hunger, HIV/AIDS, gender discrimination, peace education and environmental concerns. Discussions of these topics should be informed by understanding of the principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Millennium Development Goals. Selected young people will engage through dialogue with experienced and older human rights practitioners to gain management skills and techniques and a greater understanding of human rights issues on a global level. Forum presenters/speakers/facilitators are asked to serve in an ongoing capacity as mentors to participants upon their return to their home communities and countries.