ELTO students learn from human rights experts
Asian officials learn from human rights experts
Two representatives from the Human Rights Commission recently led a workshop at Victoria for 48 government officials from Asia.
Dr Jackie Blue, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner and Dr Jill Chrisp, Senior Adviser Human Rights and Race Relations, talked to participants from the University's English Language Training for Officials (ELTO) Programme about human rights and the work of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.
"The officials on our course will be representing their countries in international forums, so hearing from people working 'on the ground' is invaluable," says Annie Marenghi, ELTO Course Coordinator.
"Our course theme for this intake is 'good governance', with sub-themes including gender equity, human rights and the environment, so talking to people who actually work in the field makes our students' learning all the more relevant."
The ELTO Programme is managed by Accent Learning and delivered by Victoria's English Language Institute through the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies in conjunction with Eastern Institute of Technology in Napier and Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology in Nelson. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as part of New Zealand's development assistance to the participating countries—Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. In addition to classroom study, the officials are given the opportunity to visit Parliament, the courts and workplaces in Wellington.