MAKING THE MOST OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS

The Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) has arranged a training session today with the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL). The training is delivered by Sonia Omar. Sonia has been here on a couple of occasions before; she tells me that the last time was two years ago. Doesn't seem like that, but it appears to be before the birth of the blog, so she may well be right there.

Sonia's style of leading and facilitating these sessions is relaxed but rigorous, authoritative without being authoritarian, intensive without being intense - as you may be able to see from the photo above (Sonia is on the left, with Averil Dobson, from Signing Network).

Attending today, we have people from the following groups:

• Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland
• Derby and Derbyshire Race Equality Commission
• Leicester Deaf Action Group
• Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre
• Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living
• Northamptonshire Rights and Equality Council
• One East Midlands
• The Race Equality Centre

I'm glad that Minou Cortazzi, who is a member of the Board of Directors at Leicester Council of Faiths, is with us today.

About 1100 I have to nip out for a short while, just to ensure that the photo shoot of faith community representatives (to support the Census) is going smoothly in the Town Hall, but I get back in good time.

After lunch, we do small group work on some specific treaties and other UN tools:

• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
• Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

We're considering each of these on the basis of our own experience gained from working in these fields. We highlight where government has done well in relation to these conventions, covenants or principles or where they haven't been doing so well and may be liable to challenge.

In my specific area of interest, I must look up the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. This would be particularly relevant just now as it would inform discussions with the University of Derby on the project currently looking at Leicester.

We realise that there's a clear need not only to educate the Voluntary and Community Sector about human rights, but also to foreground them in our relations with local and national authorities, service providers etc - especially in relation to mounting challenges to the effects of cuts