CLA News / Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba: Shaping Rights Across Oceans -The ECHR’s Impact in the Caribbean

Partner with the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba to advance human rights awareness and policymaking across the Caribbean

Overview

2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). While the Convention was designed for Europe, its reach extends across the oceans to Caribbean territories connected to France, the Netherlands, and the UK, accounting for 15 territories, home to approximately 1.4 million people. Despite this formal applicability, the ECHR remains underutilized and underrecognized in the Caribbean. Public awareness is low, academic research is limited, and legal and policy engagement with the ECHR remains suboptimal. This project aims to address that gap.

Goal

“Shaping Rights Across Oceans” is an interdisciplinary initiative focused on raising awareness, generating research, and informing policy on the ECHR in the Caribbean, starting in Aruba.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba aims to:
● Foster scholarship on human rights and the ECHR in Caribbean legal contexts.
● Promote public awareness through local community outreach and education.
● Equip policymakers and practitioners with actionable insights on applying this human rights framework.
● Encourage regional collaboration among Caribbean and European researchers.

Key Activities
● Academic Conference A regional conference on “The ECHR in the Caribbean” bringing together (Dutch) Caribbean scholars to engage with the topic of the ECHR in the Caribbean region.
● Practitioners’ Workshop A post-conference session tailored for Aruban policymakers, judges, and legal professionals on integrating human rights into local governance and justice systems.
● Community Information Sessions In collaboration with the Tienda di Ley (the law clinic of the University of Aruba), law students will conduct educational sessions in local Aruban communities (bario’s) on ECHR-related rights.

Partner with the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba

As a sponsor or partner, your organisation can play a vital role in promoting human rights, academic research, and public engagement in the Caribbean. This initiative bridges legal, academic, and community sectors – and your support will directly help strengthen rights-based governance in underrepresented territories.

Contact
For partnership or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Chun Luk (chun.luk@ua.aw).