The Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, will host a 5-day intensive virtual course on the protection of forcibly displaced persons in Africa from 23 – 27 October 2023
Course date: 23 – 27 October 2023
Venue: Hybrid
Online: Zoom
Inperson attendance (University of Pretoria, South Africa)
About the course
This course presents a human-rights perspective on the protection of forcibly displaced persons in Africa, with a view of enhancing the knowledge of policy makers, lawyers, scholars and students on the protection of the rights of forcibly displaced persons. It covers fundamental legal concepts and principles related to international law on forced displacement, critical challenges in the interpretation and application of key treaty provisions, and rights-based approaches to addressing challenges and ensuring durable solutions to forced displacement in Africa.
The main objective of the course is to enable participants to have a thorough understanding of the meaning, causes and scale of the various forms of forced displacement in Africa, pertinent normative standards at the global and regional level, and the rights of forcibly displaced persons. Participants will be able to critically reflect on the legal and institutional responses to forced displacement, and the roles of humanitarian and development actors in the protection of forcibly displaced persons.
The course covers issues such as
- The legal and institutional framework protecting the rights of refugees, internally displaced persons and stateless persons
- Obligations of states and non-state actors
- The roles of, and standards related to humanitarian and development agencies and non-governmental organisations
- Legal developments: new trends in the interpretation and application of laws
- Strategic advocacy for the rights of forcibly displaced persons, and
- Rights-based approach to durable solutions
Fees
The course will be offered in a hybrid format.
Participation in the course online is FREE of charge.
In person attendance is R 5000 (ZAR)
Scholarships
Participants wishing to attend physically are required to write a short motivation for attending the course in person. A limited number of scholarships are available. These scholarships are awarded on a very competitive basis.
Application procedure
Important Notice:
A high proficiency in English is required to attend this course. All lectures and materials are in English. Prior to applying for this course, please read through the information on the practical information and the payment details pages.
Documents to be submitted:
- Curriculum Vitae (short CV in PDF or Word document, maximum 3 pages, maximum 10 MB in file size)
- One Letter of Recommendation (PDF or Word document, maximum of 10 MB in file size)
- Academic Records (students only) (combined in one PDF or Word document, maximum 10 MB in file size)
*Please note that in order to apply for any of the Advanced Human Rights Courses, you are required to use a Google Gmail account.
Application deadline
Applications close on 7 November 2023.
Contact
For more information, please contact:

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 4197
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
dennis.antwi@up.ac.za

Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 3810
Fax: +27 (0) 86 580 5743
abiy.ashenafi@up.ac.za
Partner institution
Migration Unit, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria