The report documents the activities of a consortium of more than 100 universities organised in eight regional hubs, working across Europe, Africa, the Arab World, Asia-Pacific, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and South-East Europe to promote human rights through education, research, training and outreach.
Navigating the Future Through a Human Rights Lens documents a year shaped by profound global pressures. Armed conflicts, democratic backsliding, restrictions on civil society and limits on academic freedom have affected many of the regions where the Global Campus operates. These realities are not abstract: they influence how programmes are delivered, how students and faculty collaborate across borders, and how human rights defenders are trained to work in environments that are often hostile or unstable.
Yet the report also illustrates how human rights education continues to adapt and expand in response to these pressures. Across regional master’s programmes, curricula and seminars addressed a range of pressing issues including environmental rights, children’s rights, business and human rights and artificial intelligence, reflecting the growing impact of these themes on contemporary human rights debates and policy frameworks. In 2025, online and in-person training programmes and summer schools supported human rights defenders working in complex environments, offering practical tools on advocacy, media literacy, digital risks, misinformation and community resilience.
In addition to postgraduate education and training programmes, the Global Campus continued to develop cross-regional initiatives linking human rights with fields such as arts, sport and public engagement, broadening the ways in which human rights values are communicated and discussed beyond academic settings.
Beyond programmes and partnerships, the report highlights the importance of community. Students, alumni, researchers and practitioners from around the world contribute to a shared ecosystem dedicated to strengthening human rights education and translating its principles into action.
We are convinced that educating, training and supporting human rights defenders is one of the most important keys that may open a window of opportunity to turn the current dynamics of world politics from the rule of the jungle back to the rule of law, democracy, peace and a sustainable future based on the universal values of human rights.
Manfred Nowak, Global Campus Secretary General
The unregulated use of high-risk technologies and the extractive activities that sustain them call for a new global paradigm that recognises humans as part of their environment. Education, interdisciplinary knowledge and international cooperation are essential to this effort. The Global Campus of Human Rights contributes by connecting universities worldwide to strengthen knowledge, dialogue and capacity for addressing these challenges.
Veronica Gomez, Global Campus President
📘 Explore the Global Campus of Human Rights Annual Report 2025 – Navigating the Future Through a Human Rights Lens