About

Introduction

Background
 
The UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy (UNESCO CHRPD) of Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) was formally established in the SBU Faculty of Law in spring 2001, following a Memorandum of Understanding signed between UNESCO and SBU. This chair is the sole chair for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy in the Persian Gulf Region.
 
The establishment of this chair provided the grounds for the formation of the center for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy, and interdisciplinary studies in the SBU Faculty of Law. This center initiated its activities with the Human Rights educational and research group and, later, with four other groups (Peace, Democracy, Philosophy of Law and Religion, and Bioethics).
 
In addition, in order to provide people in need with legal support, this centre has developed Legal Clinics for women and children in February/March 2008.
 
 Aims and Functions
 
  • Conducting pure and applied research in the fields of human rights, citizenship rights, peace and democracy, philosophy of law and religion, and bioethics;
  • Education in citizenship rights and human rights in their civil, political, economic, social and cultural aspects, taking into account Iranian religious and national culture;
  • Working for the participation of Iran in the process of codification and development of the international system of human rights;
  • Striving to encourage the participation of Iran’s intellectuals and scholars in developing new theories concerning citizenship rights, relationship between religion, human rights, peace, democracy and Jurisprudence;
  • Establishment of a Center for research and education in the fields of human rights, peace, democracy and philosophy of law, and building necessary capacity for active cooperation with similar centers, and international and regional organizations including governmental and non-governmental organizations;
  • Educating Iranian research and academic staff and experts;
  • Localization of concepts and solutions while respecting the principle of the universality of human rights.
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Activities
 
This centre has gone through the following efforts to achieve its objectives:
 
  • Creating a specialized library and UN Depository;
  • Establishing five research groups approved by the Ministry of Sciences Council for Expanding the Higher Education;
  • Promoting an LLM (master's) degree in Human Rights in the Faculty of Law, and developing a PHD program in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law;
  • Establishing cooperation agreements with international centers and universities.
     
 Holding international conferences
 
  • Holding national and international workshops, and providing national institutions with advisory services;
  • Connecting universities and other scientific centers with a view to improving the legal literature and localizing the key concepts;
  • Implementing research projects, and writing and translating books and international instruments within the framework of the chair's goals.