Empowering citizens: second cohort of human rights law programme commences

The second cohort of the government’s human rights certificate law programme got underway on Wednesday.

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, told participants that what they learn can help them to become informed advocates on a number of pressing human rights issues.

“We need to make sure the public sector is sensitised and understands the human rights architecture of our country,” the minister noted.

Minister Teixeira also noted that with the launch of the new cohort, the expectation is to build on the foundation and achievements of the first batch of students.

She further emphasised that citizens trained in the principles of human rights can contribute significantly to their communities.

Minister Teixeira expressed that the ministry takes pride in promoting the inclusivity of this course, especially since no prior academic experience is required to be enrolled.

It was disclosed that approximately 30 to 35 per cent of the participants come from a law enforcement background.

“That is important for us. If we are looking at our human rights issues; how we are strengthening the prison, police, and the judiciary and its prosecutors, it is important that those people are exposed and trained,” the minister explained.

Senior Research Officer in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Anil Persaud, who has been designated with the responsibility of coordinating the international human rights law certificate course since 2024, stated that the ministry developed the course for Guyanese in collaboration with United Nations (UN) partners, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the judiciary, and other stakeholders.

“Someone from the coastline who has a PhD and is the CEO of a company is afforded the same equal opportunity as a teacher from a hinterland region who may just have secondary education. That is something that we are extremely proud of, because it is indicative of what our ministry is mandated to do; promote inclusion, participation and diversity as it relates to the modalities of the courts,” he explained.

The course offers a variety of topics to students, ranging from human rights history to Guyana’s domestic human rights architecture, including emerging issues such as artificial intelligence (AI), political corruption and development.

Since the launch of the first cohort in 2024, there has been an increase in demand for the course, with nearly 1,000 applications being submitted. In 2024 for example, only 200 applicants were accepeted.

With a surge in application, the ministry accepted up to 300 applicants.

The programme is expected to run over the next six weeks with lectures three times a week.