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Mcleo Mapfumo and Tafadzwa dube

Two teenagers left the country for the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) five day training on Human rights in Geneva, Switzerland.
The training workshop is running under the theme, “So, You Want To Be The Next High Commissioner?” The duo was selected directly by the world body through the Zimbabwe United Nations. Mcleo Mapfumo and Tafadzwa Dube are the two teens that will be representing Zimbabwe at the 2014 edition of the So, You Want to Be the Next High Commissioner, publicized training.

The goal of the training is to empower young individuals to take a leading role in upholding human rights in their communities and around the world.
The international training’s objectives are that by the end of the five-day seminar every participant must be able to explain the international human rights system, and its instruments and mechanisms.

Mcleo Mapfumo shared his personal objectives of the international training platform. “I am so happy I was selected for this international training now I have the chance of representing my country and identify opportunities for civil society to interact with the UN human rights mechanisms. I will be also hopeful to identify the potential of Geneva as the international hub for human rights and establish contacts with organisations and institutions based in Geneva,” said Mcleo.

The training is divided into two components, education and project development. During the education component, participants will learn about available human rights instruments and implementation mechanisms, how the international community develops human rights standards, and what is being done to ensure implementation worldwide.

Throughout the training, participants will have the opportunity to interact with key actors in the human rights field, based in Geneva.
The project development component of the training will focus on teaching practical skills in the development and implementation of human rights education activities. All participants will learn to create basic education and awareness raising projects on human rights issues.

Young leaders participating in this training are committed to carry out follow-up activities in collaboration with their UNAs. Participants will use the acquired skills in human rights advocacy project management in order to develop and implement projects in their countries or communities. WFUNA monitors these projects and provide guidance and feedback beyond the actual training. – CL Reporter.