Dec 9, 2021 | Human Rights
On November 16, the “Serge Lazareff” award of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was delivered in Torrejón de Ardoz.
The Alliance recognizes with this distinction the relevant contribution of the awardees to NATO’s legal affairs. Among the awardees, we highlight our President Maria Jaen, the only civilian woman awarded for her contribution to the Alliance’s legal department.
The awards were presented by Andrés Muñoz Mosquera, Director of the Legal Department of the Headquarters Allied Forces Europe (SHAPE).
This award was created in 2017 by NATO in honor of French jurist Serge Lazareff, who was General Eisenhower’s interpreter during his military service as a French Army officer in World War II.
With this award, we recall the importance of civilian collaboration in peacekeeping processes and the promotion of human rights at the international level.
Nov 15, 2021 | Human Rights
Despite the great advancements in human rights throughout our history, the death penalty continues to be used in some countries as a legal punishment. This punishment is an extreme violation of human rights and a form of discrimination and torture against the people, who are often deprived of a legal process with all the guarantees.
Helsinki España organizes an online conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the death penalty and its application in the world. Our lecturers are coming from non-profit organizations with a long history of fighting for the abolition of this type of torture, international law experts, and the testimony of the first Spanish person who got out of death row in the USA.
The conference will take place on 23rd November, from 9:00 hours to 14:00 hours, via Zoom platform. Join us for free and learn by first-hand the situation about the death penalty.
Sign up here! https://forms.gle/Y8TXZZN527NNasrQ9
Nov 10, 2021 | Education, Human Rights, Youth to Youth
We are celebrating! December 10 marks International Human Rights Day in remembrance of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly, 73 years ago!
For that reason we launched our contest #JOVENESXJOVENES TIK TOK FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, inviting children, adolescents and volunteers to participate by recording a Tik Tok and filling social media with solidarity messages about Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The winners of the contest will be able to collect their prize on December 10 at our closing event of Youth for Youth Madrid 2021.
Contest rules
Nov 2, 2021 | Education, Human Rights, Youth to Youth
Disinformation regarding problems related to poverty and social exclusion, general ignorance of the existence of human rights and sustainable development goals, marked stereotypes and youth gender violence, as well as the low level of participation of youth in their communities cause the young population to constantly face the inconveniences of contemporary society.
Acting by and for youth, Helsinki Spain has created “Youth for Youth: Educating in Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals” 20 years ago. In this IV Edition, which will take place in Valladolid, Soria and Palencia, it has the support of the Junta de Castilla y León via Junta de Castilla y León a través de la Consejería de Transparencia, Ordenación del Territorio y Acción Exterior.
This initiative has two phases where in the first, university youth receive an online training course, which will take place between November 15 and 19, dealing with topics such as gender equality; mental and emotional health; the environment, sustainability and responsible consumption; bullying, cyberbullying and cybersecurity; the protection of people at risk of vulnerability (migration and refuge, people with functional diversity, the homeless); and the bloc of democracy and participation. Once the training is finished, the university youth transmit their knowledge in pairs, giving 4 awareness sessions between the months of December, January and February in school centers in person through a participatory methodology using dynamics and games; working values such as respect, equality and non-discrimination.
In this way, the project contributes to the development of a model of global citizenship and a universal culture of Human Rights in which the participants are more aware of their rights.
“Youth for Youth” is not just a project. It is a great opportunity to learn and teach.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/XT8HTUx3oC2sAWZo7 ! We are waiting for you!
Sep 29, 2021 | Employment guidance and social collaboration, Human Rights, REACT
REACT (Rapid Expert Assistance and Cooperation Teams) is a five-week training program on conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation for professionals who are interested in peace operations and contributing to global efforts for international security.
We have already launched the call for applications for the XXVI edition of the REACT project for all professionals interested in being deployed in peace operations and contribute to the global efforts to build international peace and security.
The deadline for the submission of applications is 1 May, 2022.
The course has a duration of five weeks for a total of 220 hours: it starts on May 30, 2022 and ends on July 1, 2022. This year’s participants will be in Alicante until June 26 and will then move to Segovia for practical training in handling critical or emergency situations while deployed in hostile environments.
REACT, since its creation in 2003, maintains its main objective of preparing professionals with diverse career paths interested in joining the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) REACT. The course is divided into seven modules covering topics such as conflict prevention, public international law, international criminal law, refugees and internally displaced persons, children and armed conflict, peace and security, the United Nations, OSCE, NATO, the European Union, etc.
REACT is the only training course of its kind in Spain and to date has trained more than 400 people. Throughout its 25 editions, the Helsinki Spain Association has worked under the conviction of the transformative power of education and the need to train people from all types of countries and situations in conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict, as the best tool at our disposal to contribute to global efforts for peace building.
More info about the REACT programe
Sep 21, 2021 | Employment guidance and social collaboration, Human Rights, Sustainable Tourism
From September 9 to 15, 2021, the second and third phase of the third edition of the project “Team Innovation 2021: Sustainable Development Goals, Tourism and Human Rights. Innovation and future work on the Camino de Santiago”, an initiative created by Helsinki Spain, thanks to the financial support of the ¨Xunta de Galicia¨.
Currently, the tourism sector represents more than 10% of the world’s GDP, is directly responsible for 14% of global emissions and 1 in 11 people work in it. Spain is a world leader in the sector, and in turn this is one of the main pillars of its economy and employment generation. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new environmental emergencies and the socioeconomic reality, this sector faces new challenges and requires new strategies for its sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and implement initiatives that contribute to the creation of decent jobs, the promotion of social entrepreneurship and the preservation of the environment.
The project culminated with a final phase that consisted of the ¨III University Forum¨ on September 15, in which the participants after 5 days of pilgrimage, presented their proposals for the promotion of sustainable tourism development, which contains the protection of human rights and contributes to the economic growth of the region.
One of the proposals was made by students from the ¨University of Girona¨, entitled ¨SANTIAGO 5 SENSES¨, which had the following objectives:
The project proposal seeks to internalize even more, the experience of the Camino de Santiago, not only to engage in a walk or pilgrimage, but to perceive in an integral way everything that makes up the road. The road should not be understood in a literal way, but also in what makes it up and surrounds it, such as: the aromas of the forests, the taste of the food and local products, the sound of nature, the touch with the soil where millions of people have walked for hundreds of years, and finally, everything that can be developed.
This proposal is accompanied by recommendations and experiences, in which those interested will be able to upload their reviews, so that those who make the journey can take into account more data and details, as if it were a path of the senses, all through digital tools such as: Instagram with the user: @santiago5seseses, and also through web page.
The University of Alicante, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Valencia, University of Girona, University of Cadiz, University of Malaga and the Diplomatic School of Spain participated in the project.
The sponsors and collaborating institutions were:
