FEDE Human Rights Prize

The FEDE, International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO), non-profit-making association, and supranational body with participatory status within the Council of Europe, integrates the promotion of human rights values into its educational mission.

Inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, FEDE is committed to promoting the awareness, respect and application of human rights in its member schools through the transmission of ideals of peace, non-discrimination, equality, justice, non-violence, tolerance, openness and respect for human dignity.

Through its mission and initiatives, the FEDE invites us to make room for debate, to raise awareness and to open up a space for reflection on the major issues of today and tomorrow.

“We place the defence and promotion of human rights at the heart of our commitment. All our research work, teaching materials, actions and training are designed around the issues of citizenship, democracy and human rights. We hope that these values will feed into all our learning paths because we are convinced that they enrich the quality of teaching and contribute to the imperative of living better together. Transmitting these values to our international community of nearly 200,000 people means ensuring that we train a generation of ambassadors of the ideals of progress; protectors, defenders and promoters of these founding principles,” explains Claude Vivier Le Got – Chair of the FEDE and Chair of the “Education and Culture” Committee of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe.

First, at the Council of Europe, where the FEDE participates in and actively contributes to the work of the Human Rights Commission of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, a voice and reflection of civil society. This work aims to protect human rights, ensure their promotion and guarantee social rights. Then, by awarding the FEDE Human Rights Prize every year.

This prize recognizes the human rights initiatives of ERDF students, professors and schools. It highlights unique projects that contribute to the effective promotion of its founding principles.

« Awarding this prize sends a strong message of defending these values within our international network. Faced with our evolving societies, confronted with challenges related to poverty, violence or discrimination, the defence and promotion of human rights has become an absolute necessity,” explains Farhang GHASSEMI, Chair of the FEDE human rights body and member of the FEDE Committee.  

Nominations for the 2020 edition of the Human Rights Prize:

Opening of applications: The 2nd week of October

Deadline for applications: Saturday, February 1st

Jury meeting: The last week of February

The award of the Human Rights Prize will take place at the FEDE General Assembly in Dubrovnik from 1 to 3 April 2020.

Human rights are the inalienable rights of all human beings, regardless of their nationality, place of residence, sex, ethnic or national origin, colour, religion, language or any other condition. They involve both rights and obligations at both individual and state level. They are :

• Universal and inalienable : International human rights law is based on the principle of universality, which implies that the Right is inherent in all human beings. Human rights are also inalienable. They may not be repealed, except in special circumstances and in accordance with a specific procedure.
• Interdependent, indivisible and interrelated : All human rights are indivisible, in other words, interrelated and interdependent, since the violation of a single right often compromises the exercise of several others and the improvement of one right facilitates the progress of others. They are therefore of equal importance and are essential to the dignity and worth of every human being.
• Equal and non-discriminatory : International human rights law gives universal value to the principle of non-discrimination. This principle is accompanied by the principle of equality, which is contained in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights“.