Launch of the MENA Master, plenary meeting
EIUC is convening a meeting on 18th October with a view to starting out in January the Master on Democratic Governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. The meeting will see the participation of representatives of all the partner universities of the Mena Master, of the Danish Institute for Human Rights and of the European Commission supporting the project.
The Master’s Programme in Democratic Governance is based on the partnership of several universities placed in four countries of the Region plus Italy. More specifically, the project embraces the University of Cadi Ayyad from Morocco, Carthage University from Tunisia, Birzeit University from Palestine, St Joseph University from Lebanon, Ca’ Foscari Venezia University and the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) from Italy. In addition, the Université Internationale de Rabat from Morocco shall also join the programme in October 2014. These are those Institutions that are already committed to the development of the programme. However, EIUC is working to strengthen and enlarge its network of Universities and partners in the Mediterranean Region.
In the wake of the Arab Spring and of the recent turmoil in the countries of the Mena region, the Master aims to contribute to the creation of a new political and administrative elite able to make human rights and democracy flourish and be a dialogue partner with the countries of the European Union.
The long-term objectives are to form high-level professionals in the field of democratic governance and human rights qualified to work as staff members or field officials for inter-governmental, governmental, and non-governmental organizations but also to foster cooperation among academic institutions and other actors in the region. It will also create a unique space for the exchange and collaboration of academics, students and other actors laying down the basis for long-term collaboration and advancement of human rights and democracy in the region.
On the example of the E.MA and the other Regional Master’s programmes of the Global Campus, the Master will be a multidisciplinary programme in the sense that its teaching modules will cover study areas such as law, political science, sociology and other human rights-related disciplines. Its aim is to mix a theoretical approach with practice-oriented experience (as field trips and internships, if feasible). The courses will cover concepts such human rights, democracy and democratic transition, the rule of law and focuses on, among others, the international and regional systems for Human Rights defence. These and other topics are central and decisive for the continuation of the process of political, economic and social development in the MENA Region.For this first trial year of the Master, the first semester is going to take place in Venice and the second semester in one of the partner Universities.
As the seventh Master’s programme joining the Global Campus, the Master in Democratic Governance in the Mena Region will be included in the framework of cooperation currently connecting six Master’s programmes in Human Rights and Democratisation in five continents.
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