The Council of Europe Programme on Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) is joining the celebrations of the Human Rights Day on 10 December, with an online information event, aimed at assisting universities in their educational efforts on human rights.

The HELP Programme develops and implements online courses on human rights. The courses are developed by and for legal professionals primarily, judges, prosecutors and lawyers. Nevertheless, HELP courses on specific topics can be also relevant for other justice professionals (prison and probation staff, police officers, court staff) or other practitioners (e.g. health sector or journalists). HELP courses developed since 2015 cover both the Council of European and the EU legal systems. Actually, many of the courses have been developed joining forces under joint European Union-Council of Europe projects.

In 2019, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a Recommendation on the system of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in university education and professional training. The Recommendation stresses the fundamental role training in the ECHR plays to prevent violations and promote Human Rights, including efforts of the Council of Europe Programme on Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). It also reinforces the mandate of the HELP Programme and values the contribution of its online courses on Human Rights in Europe.

HELP courses can be used as an additional tool to supplement the teaching curricula for students, primarily of law. In particular, during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is seriously affecting face-to-face educational processes, the HELP Programme is committed to assisting, within its capacities, the university professors in their online education on human rights.

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