Students discuss international human rights protection at OSCE-supported course in Turkmenistan

ASHGABAT, 30 November 2012 – Forty senior students of the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan attended an OSCE-supported course on the international protection of human rights that concluded in Ashgabat today.

The five-day course addressed topics such as the contemporary framework of international relations and law, principles of non-discrimination and equality, gender and women’s rights, protection of minorities and ethnic and cultural communities and the role of different bodies in the protection of human rights.

“Human rights education contributes to promoting awareness and understanding of the commitments made by OSCE participating States to protect human rights. The course has helped to give the students up-to-date information about contemporary practices and challenges relating to international human rights protection,” said Ambassador Ivo Petrov, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

During the course, the students analyzed case studies, reflected upon evolving state practice and participated in open debates on issues including diplomacy and negotiations in the international protection of human rights, and the implications of discrimination and inequality for international peace, stability and development.

John Packer, a constitutional law expert who led the course, said: “Human rights are in a global context increasingly used to frame issues, articulate grievances and, not least, shape solutions to many problems. Turkmenistan’s future diplomats need the knowledge, insights and skills to engage effectively with human rights claims and arguments.  This course has enhanced their capacities to do so.”

The course was organized in close co-operation with the Institute of International Relations.