“In the old days, the dignitas was for the dignitaries –the important people- and the humble masses had to show respect to them. Dignity now is for everybody. Everybody. Everybody simply by virtue of the fact that you are a human being. You’re entitled to be treated with respect as a human being, full stop.” Justice Albie Sachs
Designed and coordinated by renowned scholars Erin Daly and Catherine Dupré, the course is the result of their passionate work in researching, teaching and inspiring global conversations about dignity. It brings together the voices of three distinguished judges whose work has helped shape how dignity is protected in courts around the world: Albie Sachs, Susanne Baer, and Veronica Gomez. Their reflections are accompanied by those of leading human rights experts Manfred Nowak and George Ulrich.
According to Daly and Dupré, “Human dignity is an idea that starts in the human heart, and then spreads out, into the world, and into the law. We all have a sense of what human dignity is. We know when our dignity is respected, and when it isn’t. And we know that, because we have inherent human dignity, we have a right to have and claim our rights.”
This Microlearning Course explores the rights we hold simply because we are human. It looks at how the law is evolving to reflect and promote human dignity, not only as a value or a principle but also as a legal right increasingly enshrined in constitutions around the world and developed in case law and international human rights practice. Throughout the course, you will discover how dignity guides the work of human rights experts and judges. You will also discover its impact in people’s lives, whether in access to justice, civil and democratic rights, or social rights including employment. As Global Campus President Veronica Gomez powerfully states in her contribution to the course: “I think it’s an interesting point of view to try to recognise that, as part of the right to a dignified life, individuals – and communities as well – need to have a right to a project, the right to work, in particular, as a means to achieve objectives in life. Access to work, in conditions of equality, is an essential part of the social contract in modern society.”
The micro-learning nature of the course makes it very short (5 hours in total) but also very focused on 5 need-to-know areas:
- Dignity and Human Rights
- Dignity and Democracy
- Dignity and Criminal Law
- Dignity and Social, Economic, Cultural, and Environmental Rights
- Dignity and Equality
If you want to deepen your knowledge about the heart of human rights law or if you believe in justice and equality, and that everyone should be treated as a human being no matter who they are, join us. Our e-learning journey together starts on 14 July 2025, is fully asynchronous, and free for everyone.
Photo by Leo_Visions