Revitalization of democracy
and human rights

July 27 and 28, 2026

The major challenges facing democracies and human rights

program proposes a pluralistic reflection on some of the major challenges facing democracies and human rights today. In a context marked by increasing inequality, disinformation, polarization, and tensions surrounding the rule of law, the program will bring together leading voices from the judicial, international, and social spheres.

The conferences will address the role of the judiciary as a guarantor of rights and the rule of law; the participation and representation of historically excluded groups; poverty and social exclusion as democratic challenges; and intergenerational justice as a condition for building more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable societies. 

The course is taught in person or can be followed live online.

Course program:
Revitalizing democracy
and human rights

Inaugural Session

Revitalization of democracy and human rights
Monday, July 27, 2026 |
10:00 - 11:45
Teatro Leal
Juan Manuel Fernández Martínez, President of the National Court. Ana Palacio, international lawyer. She has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, member of the Spanish and European Parliaments, and First Vice-President and Board Member of the World Bank Group.

Conference. Eradicating poverty: an essential purpose of the international community from a human rights perspective

Revitalization of democracy and human rights
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 |
10:00 - 11:15
Santo Domingo Convent
Elena Carolina Díaz Galán. United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. Professor of Public International Law at Rey Juan Carlos University.

Conference. The treaties of the United Nations Human Rights Committees. A view of the past and the future

Revitalization of democracy and human rights
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 |
11:45 - 13:00
Santo Domingo Convent
Ana Peláez Narváez. Former president and current expert of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Dialogue table. Revitalization of democracy and human rights under debate

Revitalization of democracy and human rights
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 |
13:00 - 14:15
Santo Domingo Convent
This panel will feature prominent legal experts, moderated by Ruth Martinón Quintero, PhD, a tenured lecturer in the Department of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of La Laguna.