ACHRS interns attend training on human rights law at the Spanish Embassy in Amman
On Wednesday 22nd February 2023, a group of ACHRS interns were invited by the Spanish embassy in Amman to attend a training on international law and its role in the global governance of human rights.
Led by the embassy’s first secretary, Jaime Hermida Marina, and in presence of two of the embassy’s interns, the training began with a comprehensive summary of the development of the international human rights regime from its inception to its contemporary form. Mr. Herminda Marina discussed different characteristics of treaties, resolutions, and conventions, as well as the differences between fundamental rights and human rights.
The training highlighted the numerous challenges of ensuring the respect for human rights globally as well as in the MENA region specifically. Mr. Hermida Marina also emphasized the often-unintended consequences of external intervention on human rights in a targeted country, raising the important but difficult question of enforceability of human rights globally. Instead, different UN mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review that tracks the human rights records of UN member states can already have a positive impact because of member states’ interest in preserving a trustworthy and reliable image on the international stage.
The training concluded with an overview of the Spanish embassy’s effort to promote a culture of human rights worldwide, as well as the state of human rights in Jordan and the specific areas the embassy operates in, namely:
- Putting an end to the practice of the death penalty, aligning with ACHRS’s priorities
- Gender equality, which is also an area ACHRS works in
- Advising the Jordanian government on the right to clean water and sanitation, given Spain’s long standing experience in dealing with issues of water scarcity
- Supporting people with disabilities
Mr. Hermida Marina’s expertise in the field of human rights proved to be extremely insightful and, therefore, ACHRS looks forward to continuing collaboration with the embassy in the future.
