The Region of Veneto energically works in the promotion of human rights, culture of peace and international cooperation sector since 1988 when the first Regional Law on those subjects was adopted – Regional Law no. 18, 30th March 1988 “Regional interventions for the promotion of a culture of peace”, which established the Regional Archive "Pace Diritti Umani - Peace Human Rights, on the basis of the ad hoc convention with the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova. With the same law, the Venice Foundation for peace research was created.
In 1999, on the basis of the results and the experience achieved, Regional Law 18/1988 was substituted with the Regional Law no. 55, 16th December 1999 on “Regional Interventions for the Promotion of Human Rights, the Culture of Peace, the Cooperation to Development and Solidarity”.
In 2018, the Region of Veneto adopted the Regional Law 21 June 2018, n. 21 "Regional interventions for the promotion and diffusion of human rights as well as cooperation for sustainable development" which is today the normative instrument for the promotion of human rights, a culture of peace and international cooperation. On the basis of article 5, the Tavolo regionale sui diritti umani and cooperation for sustainable development was created, with advisory tasks on regional planning and advice to the regional bodies in matters provided for by regional law. The director of the Human Rights Centre ‘Antonio Papisca’ of the University of Padova is a member of the Table.
Throughout the years and in the framework of the activities of the regional laws in the field, the Human Rights Centre has edited the Bulletin “Archivio Pace Diritti Umani”, published from 1991 to 2009, and the In-dept Analysis, published from 2009 to 2018, subsituted by "Topics" in 2019. It also manages the database of associations and organisations operating in Veneto (available only in Italian) in the field of human rights and sustainable development cooperation.
It published the journal Pace, diritti dell'uomo, diritti dei popoli (Peace, human rights, peoples' rights) (1987-1995). Suspended from 1995 to 2003, it was revived between 2004 and 2013 with its second series, entitled Pace diritti umani - Peace human rights and re-launched again, with a focus on the increasingly demanding international requirements for scholarly publications, starting in 2017, with its third series entitled Peace Human Rights Governance - PHRG: a semi-annual peer-reviewed and open-access scientific journal published with Padua University Press.
It edited (from 2011 to 2022) the publication of the Annuario italiano dei diritti umani / Italian Yearbook of Human Rights which, year by year, took stock of how the international human rights monitoring system evaluates Italy's action. As of 2024, the Yearbook continues in a new, more agile and user-friendly format, that of the ‘Rubrica’ on the Human Rights Centre's website.
It has promoted Annual Advanced Courses on the Rights of the Person and Peoples, Advanced Training Courses and Professional Refresher Courses for teachers, local officials and administrators, representatives of civil society organisations, social service workers.
On 10 December 2007, on the occasion of the inauguration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the Human Rights Center of the University of Padova, the Veneto Regional Council met in extraordinary session in "Galileo Galilei" Aula Magna of the Palazzo Bo of the University of Padova and unanimously approved resolution n. 40 "International Human Rights Day".
The intervention of the Region of Veneto has progressively taken the traits of an organic policy - carried out with the active collaboration of civil society organizations and operators in full respect of their own initiative - which improves the regional infrastructure on human rights, peace, decentralised cooperation and international solidarity.
In addition to the bodies envisaged by Regional Law no. 21 of 21 June 2018, the Veneto Region's structure includes the following regional bodies and instruments operating in the field of human rights:
- The Regional Human Rights Ombudsman, established by the Regional Law 24 December 2013, No. 37, who exercises the functions of Ombudsman, Ombudsman for children, and Ombudsman for the rights of people deprived of their liberty.
Website: https://garantedirittipersona.consiglioveneto.it/ - International Relations, Communication and Sistar Directorate, that is in charge of the implementation of Regional Law No. 21/2018.
Website: https://www.regione.veneto.it/direzione-relazioni-internazionali - Commission for the realisation of equal opportunities between men and women established by Regional Law no. 62 of 30 December 1987.
Website: https://www.regione.veneto.it/web/pari-opportunita/commissione-pari-opportunita - Intervention for the support of fair trade organizations, Regional Law no. 6 of 22 January 2010.
Website: https://www.regione.veneto.it/web/relazioni-internazionali/equo-e-solidale - European Commission for democracy through law, also defined as "Venice Commission", is an advisory body of the Council of Europe established in 1990, supported by the Region of Veneto by virtue of the provisions of Article 7 of Regional Law No. 21/2018.
Website: https://www.venice.coe.int/WebForms/pages/?p=01_activities&lang=IT - The anti-trafficking toll-free number (Numero Verde Antitratta), managed by the Region of Veneto on the basis of the collaboration agreement with the Equal Opportunities Department and the Human Rights Centre of the University of Padova as the scientific contact point.
Website: https://osservatoriointerventitratta.it/en/helpline-800-290-290/