Research Centers
UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy

Welcome to the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy

(UNESCO CHRPD) of Shahid Beheshti University 

The Re-establishment of the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy

On April 14th 2016, the initial Agreement was signed by the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, and the then Chancellor of the Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran/Iran, concerning the establishment of a UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy with Professor Hossein Mir Mohammad Sadeghi, appointed as the Chair-holder. The UNESCO Chair is hosted by the Shahid Beheshti University.

The Renewal of the Agreement (2020-2024)

Based on the evaluation of the data/fact by the UNESCO, the Chair’s activities from June 2016 to February 2020 were fully in line with the objectives spelled out in the initial Agreement. Therefore, the Agreement was renewed on June 23th 2020 between UNESCO and Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran/Iran concerning the establishment of UNESCO Chair on Human Rights, Peace and Democracy with Professor Hossein Mir Mohammad Sadeghi, appointed officially as the Chair-holder for the new term.
Under Article 2 of the Agreement, the purpose of the Chair is to promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on human rights, peace and democracy. The Chair also facilitates collaboration between high-level internationally-recognized researchers and teaching staff of the University and other institutions in Iran, the Arab States, Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Africa and other regions of the world.

The Chair’s Main Objectives

Using the academic capabilities of its host institution, the Chair works towards its main objectives under the Agreement as follows:
- To train academic experts, practitioners, NGOs and other stakeholders in the areas of human rights, peace and democracy;
- To build up a specialist library for human rights materials, along with the UN Depository Library which serves as an important source for students, scholars and local NGOs;
- To provide law and psychology students including master’s graduates, with the experience of an active personal involvement (through its associated Family Legal Clinics), learning/research opportunities and practical experience in the field of human rights;
- To publish research-based books (in Persian and English) and Persian translations of books and materials relevant to human rights, peace and democracy; and
- To cooperate closely with UNESCO on relevant programmes and activities, as well as with relevant UNESCO Chairs.

The Chair’s Structure

The focus of the activities of the Chair has been to widen the scope of research and teaching activity through new courses, new research projects and more seminar/webinar/training programmes. The relevant research/training activities of the Chair have been accomplished by nine research groups/specialist working groups within the structure of the Chair as follows:
- Human Rights Research Group which includes the “Women’s Rights Specialist Working Group”, the “Children’s Rights Specialist Working Group” and the newly-established “Specialist Working Group on Human Rights and New Technologies”;
- Peace and Humanitarian Law Research Group;
- Democracy Research Group;
- Research Group of Philosophy, Religion and Law;
- Bioethics Research Group; and
- Criminal Justice Working Group.

The organizational structure of the Chair is composed of the office of the Chair-holder which serves as the Managing/Steering Committee, Research Department under the joint management of the Chair holder and the Director of Research Department; including the aforementioned 9 research groups/specialist working groups; Department of Communication and Scientific Services; consisting Education Unit, Liaison with NGOs Unit, Information Center and CHRPD Site Unit; CHRPD UN Depository Library, Legal Clinics of the CHRPD (located at the CHRPD headquarter, as well in Islamshahr, Shahr-e-Rey, Kermanshah, all of which populated areas with many poor people who are in need of legal and family advice) and CHRPD Publication Unit.

The Chair’s Main Activities

The main activities of the CHRPD for promoting and protecting human rights, peace and democracy within Iran and regionally are as follows:
(1) Conducting pure and applied research in the fields of human rights, citizenship rights, peace, democracy, Jurisprudence and religion, and bioethics, women’s rights; active research cooperation with similar governmental and non-governmental Centers, scientific associations and international organizations;
(2) Establishing a network of researchers and institutions in Iran to support research and training of students, professionals and civil society as well as knowledge-sharing in the fields of human rights, peace and democracy;
(3) Designing and implementing activities aiming at enhancing the knowledge of young researchers on the issues related to human rights, peace and democracy, also to develop/strengthen the capacities of public and private actors at the national level in the areas of focus;
(4) Acting as an information hub for collection and dissemination of the UN/UNESCO instruments related to the issues relevant to human rights, peace and democracy;
(5) Organizing academic/public seminars and thematic workshops on the various issues related to human rights, peace and democracy;
(6) Cooperating closely with Iranian National Commission for UNESCO on relevant programmes and activities in cases required by the mentioned Commission;
(7) Publication of relevant books and papers, both in hard copies and e-copies including research-based books (in Persian and English) and Persian translations of books and materials relevant to various issues related to human rights, peace and democracy.
(8) Organizing regular on-line scientific meetings aimed at knowledge sharing to the public on the subjects relevant to the UNESCO special themes; such as climate change, gender equality, peace, trafficking in women and girls, violations of human rights, cyber justice, democracy, protection of environment during conflict/war, etc.
(9) Maintaining and updating the resources including books, e-books and journals on the subjects relevant to human rights, peace and democracy, as well providing up-to-date resources to students and researchers through CHRPD Site Unit, the CHRPD UN Depository Library and the CHRPD Information Center comprising a Library (including the UN Depository Library) with over 4500 books in Persian, English, Arabic and French that are considered to be the most important resources for students, scholars and local NGOs in the relevant fields. It should be mentioned that the budget for maintaining, purchasing and updating the Library resources are provided by the host institute, Shahid Beheshti University;
(10) Capacity building through training, information-sharing and consultancy. The CHRPD helps to develop capacities of various individuals and groups including women and children, as well as strengthening promotion of human rights, peace and democracy, prevention of human rights abuses, and to facilitate the grounds for implementation of the Programme for Non-Violence and Peacebuilding Education for Children/Youth (PNPEC/Y) at the national level. It should be noted that the (PNPEC/Y) is a new initiative by the CHRPD to be
implemented aiming at prevention of violence, promoting the peace and non-violence knowledge to help prevention of conflict, increasing the knowledge on international/Islamic standards of Human rights, resolving conflicts through peaceful solutions, and creating conditions to appreciate cultural diversity and values, also respect for nature and animals, as well as preparing children/youth to cope with difficult and crisis situations.
(11) Holding training webinars/workshops for non-governmental and civil society organizations, governmental bodies, the scientific associations under the auspices of Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, etc.;
(12) Public education in citizenship rights and human rights in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural fields, while taking into account Iranian religious, traditional, ethical, ethnic and national cultural values;
(13) Running the Legal Clinics of the CHRPD (located at the CHRPD headquarter, as well as in Islamshahr, Shahr-e-Rey and Kermanshah)(for women and children of Iranian nationals/foreign refugees/migrants);
(14) Developing south-south/South-North cooperation (building upon CHRPD’s unique position as the Chair in the Middle East region focusing on human rights, peace and democracy), for example through developing the grounds to establish Human Rights Studies Regional Initiative (HRSRI) within the CHRPD structure to strengthen collaboration on the complex social, ethical, political, cultural, religious and philosophical dimensions of human rights, peace and democracy in the Middle East.
(15) Holding regular webinars, workshops, seminars and conferences on a variety of issues related to human rights (including women’s, children’s and cultural rights), citizenship rights, peace, democracy, Jurisprudence, religion, bioethics, etc.;
(16) Supervision by the CHRPD members in the Faculty of Law at Shahid Beheshti University and in other universities, of a number of LLM dissertations and PhD theses in the fields of human rights, peace, democracy, Islamic Jurisprudence, criminology, bioethics, cultural heritage protection, women’s, children’s and cultural rights, environmental protection, etc.