Over the last two days (3 and 4 March 2026), the EUTI (European Union Training Initiative) consortium held its partner meeting at Jable Castle in Slovenia. The event brought together 32 representatives from 14 partner organizations to map out the best possible path forward for the project.

The primary goal of the gathering was to ensure the consortium can fulfill its mission as effectively as possible: equipping civilian experts with the skills to navigate complex environments and strengthening the EU’s role as a proactive leader in global peace and security.

The meeting served as a vital space for Europe’s top training institutions to pool their knowledge. Key discussions focused on analyzing the current training requirements of civilian missions on the ground, exploring the benefits of new technologies and how to effectively integrate AI into the training sector as well as reaffirming that specialized training is not just a “bonus” for mission members, but a fundamental requirement for the success and safety of international missions.

The EUTI consortium is walking away with a clear roadmap of ideas that will be implemented throughout the next phases of the project, ensuring we continue to deliver high-quality, standardized training across Europe.

The Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, under the auspices of EUTI – European Union Training Initiative, will hold Training of Trainers for Human Right Advisors (HRA): Mainstreaming Human Rights into Civilian Crisis Management Missions’ Internal and External Activities: using a HRBA approach.

The call for applications is now open.

Training dates: 23–25 March 2026

Training location: Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

Target Group: Human Rights Advisors of civilian CSDP crisis missions and human rights support elements at HQs

This training initiative directly supports the implementation of the 2021 Civilian Operations Commander Operational Guidelines on Human Rights Mainstreaming and Human Rights Due Diligence. While substantial progress has been made in policy development, a significant gap remains in the practical application of these standards within Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian missions. To bridge this gap, this course equips Human Rights Advisors (HRAs) with the didactical and methodological skills necessary to train their colleagues and foster a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) across all mission mandates.

The key objective of this course is thus to contribute to building in-mission capacities for training purposes in the field of human rights mainstreaming. It will also enhance the ability of missions to adapt to the steadily changing capacity-building requirements and strengthen in-mission capability to deliver high quality trainings in the area of HRBA and human rights mainstreaming.

The curriculum of the training will move beyond theoretical definitions, focusing on the HOW of human rights mainstreaming. Participants will engage in practical exercises—including situational analysis, elaborating Theories of Change, and designing monitoring frameworks—all viewed through a human rights lens.

The training of trainers course will be targeted at human rights Advisors working in civilian CSDP missions – who, inter alia, conduct trainings and coaching sessions on issues related to human rights as subject matter experts or trainers and are called upon, in the Operational Guidelines on Human Rights Mainstreaming and Human Rights Due Diligence, to play a catalyst role to ensure internal and external human rights mainstreaming within the mission of assignment.

 Applications for the Training of Trainers for Human Rights Advisors are now open. Deadline is 22 February 2026.