2. Committee of Ministers Recommendation No. R (79) 16 to Member States on the Promotion of Human Rights Research in the Member States of the Council of Europe (1979)

(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers, 13 September 1979)

The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 15.b of the Statute of the Council of Europe,

Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe is the achievement of greater unity among its members, and that one of the most important methods by which that aim is to be pursued is the maintenance and further realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Considering that the teaching of human rights on the one hand, and research in the field of human rights on the other, are means of ensuring, through increased knowledge of the problem, respect of human rights;

Considering that within the Council of Europe, proposals are under study with the aim of promoting teaching, research and increased information in the field of human rights;

Recalling Resolution (78) 41 on the teaching of human rights;

Recalling moreover Resolution (78) 40 instituting Council of Europe fellowships for studies and research in the field of human rights;

Considering that human rights research should, like the development of the teaching of human rights, be encouraged at the national level;

Considering that, among the means of fostering such research, the award of fellowships for studies in the human rights field and the establishment and development of centres providing facilities for human rights studies and research would appear to be the most effective;

Considering that human rights research should be understood as bearing not only on the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter, but also on the protection and development of human rights at the national level and international level, both regional and universal;

Emphasising moreover that research in this field should not necessarily be limited to legal studies but also concern the historical, sociological, psychological and economic aspects of human rights and the relationship of human rights to professional ethics and, where appropriate, should be carried out on an interdisciplinary basis,

 Recommends to the governments of member states to take whatever measures are appropriate to:

— foster research in the field of human rights;
— provide, inter alia, in their research fellowships schemes, for the award of fellowships for human rights research;
— encourage, in appropriate fields, interdisciplinary research relating to human rights, by also providing in their research fellowships schemes for the possibility of collective fellowships for research teams;
— encourage the establishment and development, particularly in universities and the relevant professional institutions, of centres providing facilities for human rights studies and research.