Diploma in human rights and forced displacement

The Human Rights Centre of the United Nations mandated University for Peace is offering its successful Professional Development Diploma in Human Rights and Forced Displacement, courses for which can be taken entirely online. This Diploma, aimed at professionals seeking training for career development, can be obtained upon successful completion of the following five online courses offered in the programme. Enrollments are open on a rolling basis and participants can join the programme at the beginning of any of the following five courses:

1. Protection of Refugees: 26 June – 06 August, 2024 

2. Protection of Stateless Persons: 28 August – 08 October, 2024

3.Protection of Internally Displaced Persons: 23 October – 03 December, 2024

4.  Forced Migration and Human Rights: 05 March – 15 April, 2025 

5. Trafficking in Persons: 30 April May – 10 June, 2025 

The next cycle of each of these courses will be on similar dates in the following year, with the necessary adjustment to ensure that each course begins on Wednesday and ends on Tuesday. For instance, a course beginning on 26 June 2024 (Wednesday) will begin the following year on 25 June 2025 (Wednesday).

Each of these courses is also offered as a stand-alone certificate course, but participants can now obtain a diploma by taking all the five courses which fall within the overarching theme of forced displacement. The diploma is designed in a way that participants develop incremental expertise in the different limbs of forced displacement and its linkages with human rights.

The curriculum for the diploma programme has been designed by a committee of global experts led by Dr. Mihir Kanade, Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre. Dr. Kanade’s academic and policy work over the years has focused on the complex linkages between globalization and human rights, including the interface with forced migration. In leading the design of the overall programme curriculum, Dr. Kanade brings with him over a decade of teaching and training experience on protection of forcibly displaced persons, in particular, refugees and stateless persons, as well as his work on sustainable development. Dr. Kanade currently serves as an independent expert of the United Nations Human Rights Council in the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development. He also chairs the drafting group of international experts appointed by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for preparing a legally binding instrument on the right to development. This diploma programme on Human Rights and Forced Displacement builds on the transdisciplinary work and vision of Dr. Kanade to seek an understanding of forced displacement in relation with broader efforts at realizing sustainable development on the planet and the right to development of those forcibly displaced. Other members of the committee of experts who have played an instrumental role in helping design specific modules within the programme include Dr. Juan M. Amaya Castro (Colombia and the Netherlands), Dr. Jan Hessbrugge (Germany), Dr. Geeta Sekhon (India), and Dr. Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo (Venezuela).

The course is intended for staff members of (inter)governmental and civil society organizations involved in forced displacement and human rights issues, including human trafficking and smuggling, protection of refugees and stateless persons, immigration, protection of internally displaced persons etc. The course is also intended for staff members of (international) development agencies, academics and others interested in the aforesaid areas. (Post)Graduate students with specific research interests in these areas are also encouraged to apply. Candidates should have a good written command of English and have high competence and comfort with computer and Internet use.

For Diploma: Fee for taking this diploma is USD 2400 (as against USD 3000, if paid for each stand-alone course separately). Fee for alumni of UPEACE and the Centre enrolling for the Diploma course is USD 2100.

For Diploma and 10 Academic Credits: Participants are also able to take the five courses in the diploma for a total of 10 graduate level academic credits offered by UPEACE (2 academic credits for each course). The total cost of participating in the diploma for academic credits is USD 4900 (USD 2400 + USD 2500). For alumni of UPEACE and the Centre, the total cost is USD 4600 (USD 2100 + USD 2500).

To apply, please fill up the enrolment form. Applicants will be contacted within three working days of the application. The diploma is limited to 25 participants.

Upon being admitted, payments may be made either by credit card or by wire transfer. Payment by wire transfer usually takes three to four business days to be deposited in our account. Payment by credit card is instant.

If you wish to make the payment by credit card, please go to https://payments.upeace.org/hrc/

Payments by wire transfer must be made to the following bank account:

Universidad para la Paz
Banco Nacional de Costa Rica
Bank account number:100-02-099-600195-4
Swift Code: BNCRCRSJ and IBAN: CR57015109910026001958
Avenidas 1 y 3, Calle 4
San José, Costa Rica