On 1 July 2026, a new international project, EDUCHAR, was launched. The Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia is participating in the project together with the Baltic Human Rights Society, the State Chancellery of the Republic of Latvia, Mykolas Romeris University, and the Public Governance Agency of Lithuania. The aim of the project is to develop and implement a sustainable and structured human rights training programme for the public sector in Latvia and Lithuania.
The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.
State and municipal institutions make decisions every day that affect people’s rights. These decisions influence access to services, equal treatment, and the protection of personal data. Knowledge of human rights is therefore an essential part of professional competence in the public sector.
EDUCHAR will promote the practical application of human rights in public administration, with particular attention to the rights enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The project will pilot a training programme consisting of an introductory course on human rights and specialised training modules, with the long-term aim of integrating the programme into public-sector professional development systems in both countries.
A training programme tailored to the needs of public administration
The training programme will include an introductory course on human rights and specialised modules on non-discrimination and equality, data protection and digital rights, as well as migration and asylum law. Recorded lectures, in-person seminars, and independent study will enable participants to learn the principles of human rights and analyse their application in public administration practice.
Participants will learn to identify human rights issues in everyday decision-making and apply the relevant legal principles. The programme will also explain the scope of application of the Charter and its relationship with national and other European human rights protection instruments.
The training approach builds on the HREPS research project, in which representatives of the public sector participated in developing a training framework tailored to their professional needs. Based on this work, EDUCHAR will develop the training programme and pilot its implementation in Latvia and Lithuania. The training is planned to begin in spring 2027.
Human rights education in the long term
The long-term objective of the project is to integrate the training programme into public-sector professional development systems. Piloting the programme will make it possible to assess its implementation in practice, as well as the institutional arrangements, time, and funding required for its continuation. Participant feedback and the evaluation of learning outcomes will be used in this process.
The State Chancellery in Latvia and the Public Governance Agency in Lithuania will lead dialogue with public institutions and other stakeholders. Together with universities and non-governmental organisations, they will develop recommendations for the introduction of permanent, state-supported human rights education.
The project is coordinated by the Baltic Human Rights Society (Latvia) in cooperation with the University of Latvia, the State Chancellery of the Republic of Latvia, Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania), and the Public Governance Agency of Lithuania (Viešojo valdymo agentūra). The Human Rights and Democracy Education Institute of Lithuania is participating in the project as an associated partner.
EDUCHAR runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. Project number: 101293114.
Updates on the development of the training programme are available on the EDUCHAR project page.
Public institutions interested in the project are invited to contact: info@baltichumanrights.org.
Funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.