The Human Rights Centre 'Antonio Papisca' pays tribute to Daniela Napoli, human rights defender

Daniela Napoli was the head of the first Human Rights and Democratisation Unit created by the European Commission even before the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1999.

In 1997, together with Antonio Papisca, Director of the Human Rights Centre, she promoted the creation of the European Master's Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, creating the largest European and then global network for human rights education and training with the participation of universities, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, local authorities and private foundations.

Her determination to promote the development of the Master's programme in terms of both content and network building was extraordinary. With her ideas, she was able to inspire and nurture the curriculum development and orient human rights training according to an 'axio-practical' approach.

Starting from her example, we renew our commitment in the knowledge that human rights education is the way to build a more just, equitable, solidarity-based and democratic international order.

“The combined commitment and enthusiasm of all these participants has created a unique spirit of confidence and determination in the European Master Programme, a sense that great things are possible with hard work and imagination. This spirit has found concrete expression in the way that the course has developed year after year, learning from its experience and pushing the barriers of the achievable ever further” (Daniela Napoli).