In July 2026, Baltic Human Rights Society launched EDUCHAR, a new international project co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme, which brings together public institutions, universities and civil society organisations in Latvia and Lithuania to develop and introduce a sustainable, structured human rights education programme for the public sector.
Public institutions make decisions that affect people’s rights every day. Access to public services, equal treatment and the protection of personal data all depend on how those decisions are made. Human rights knowledge is therefore an essential part of public sector professional competence.
EDUCHAR will promote the practical application of human rights in public administration, with particular emphasis on the rights enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Through an introductory course and specialised training modules, the project will test a programme designed for long-term integration into public sector professional development systems in both countries.
A programme grounded in public administration practice
The programme will include an introductory human rights course and specialised modules on non-discrimination and equality, data protection and digital rights, and migration and asylum. Recorded lectures, face-to-face seminars and individual work will combine an understanding of human rights principles with case studies from public administration.
Participants will learn to identify human rights issues in everyday decisions and apply the relevant principles. The programme will also explain the Charter’s scope and its relationship with national and other European human rights protections.
The approach builds on the HREPS research, in which the public sector helped design a training framework suited to its professional needs. EDUCHAR will put this framework into practice in Latvia and Lithuania, with training planned to begin in spring 2027.
A lasting place in professional development
The long-term aim is to integrate the programme into national public sector professional development systems. The pilot will help assess how the programme works in practice and what institutional arrangements, time and funding are needed to sustain it. Participant feedback and the evaluation of training results will inform this work.
Latvia’s State Chancellery and Lithuania’s Public Management Agency will lead national dialogue with public institutions and other stakeholders. Together with the universities and civil society organisations, they will develop recommendations for a permanent, state-led approach to human rights education.
EDUCHAR is coordinated by Baltic Human Rights Society (Latvia), in partnership with the University of Latvia, the State Chancellery of the Republic of Latvia, Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania) and Lithuania’s Public Management Agency (Viešojo valdymo agentūra). The Human Rights and Democracy Education Institute in Lithuania participates as an associated partner.
EDUCHAR runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028 and is co-funded by the European Union’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. Project number 101293114.
Follow the EDUCHAR project page for updates as the training develops.
Public institutions interested in the project can contact info(abols)baltichumanrights.org.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
